The Defense Procurement Agency of Ukraine has signed a contract worth more than 200 million euros for the purchase of M6A2 anti-tank mines, manufactured back in 1941. This agreement caused a public outcry, because it is not only about the significant cost, but also about the questionable quality of the product, which has been in circulation for almost 80 years.
The director of the information and consulting company Defense Express writes about this in his article.
The Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) has started the process of purchasing anti-tank mines, which were manufactured 80 years ago. According to Oleg Zgurets, a defense expert, more than 200 million euros will be spent on these mines, and the expert community has doubts about their technical suitability.
“The M6A2 mines we are going to buy must have been manufactured back in 1941. This information in itself is already worrying," Zgurets says.
According to a contract with a Bulgarian intermediary company, the Defense Procurement Agency plans to buy hundreds of thousands of M6A2 mines with detonators at a price of around 600 euros per unit. This contract was initiated after the official request of the head of AOZ, Maryna Bezrukova, to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The Ministry approved the purchase, noting that these mines meet the requirements for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. But this decision raises serious questions among military experts.
"We all understand very well that these mines were manufactured back in the middle of the 20th century. During this time, many things could change in their condition. It can be very dangerous if the mine doesn't work as it should, because the reliability of old ammunition is always in question," says Zgurets.
The M6A2 mines are a World War II American development designed to destroy tanks through pressure action. However, already in the 1960s, these mines were removed from the US arsenal due to their low effectiveness. However, many of them were transferred to countries in Asia, South America and Africa, where they are kept today.
"We have information that these mines are simply rusting in warehouses in third countries. This can be a serious problem, because one cannot be sure of the ability of these mines to work if their detonators have long since failed or are damaged by corrosion," says one of the experts.
Even so, some military engineers point out that even old mines can be useful if carefully inspected.
"If these mines were given to us for a dollar a piece, we would accept them, even despite their age. But here there is a problem with explosives, which can be in an unsatisfactory condition due to a long storage period. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct laboratory tests before we can say whether these mines will really be able to fulfill their task," explains the engineer.
In turn, experts emphasize that the service life of explosives such as TNT can be up to 35-60 years, but in conditions of long-term storage and corrosion of the metal casing of mines, their effectiveness can significantly decrease.
"The question of the suitability of such mines for use is not just a theoretical discussion. This is a serious issue for our armed forces. And we must understand that without appropriate technical tests and guarantees, we risk receiving ineffective or even dangerous ammunition," concludes Zgurets.
