UNDERWATER DEVICES; SEE ALSO LIMPET MINES

A number of improvised explosive devices are specifically made for sabotage of commercial and military shipping, bridge piers below the waterline, and port infrastructure. These are often called “LIMPETS”, although the term applies more correctly to several military sabotage devices for use against ships, and usually magnetically-attached to the hull, below the waterline.

The Maindeka limpet mine, made in India is probably the largest and most complex magnetic mine of its type, having a fibreglass body, both mechanical and electronic safety mechanisms, and a reliable programmable timer. It is dome-shaped, weighs 6kg (14 pounds) and contains 1 kg (2.2 pounds) of RDX and TNT explosive.

A few limpet mines have also been made with large suction cups, capable of attachment to smooth metal surfaces.

Terrorist groups have made their own improvised limpet-like devices, usually based on capped plastic or metal pipes filled with high explosives. They are detonated by a chemical time delay or electronic time delay device in a waterproof container.

While limpets are primarily designed for underwater use, some terrorist groups have found them equally useful placed on or under vehicles, to destroy them and kill the driver and passengers. While most limpets are magnetic, some (such as the North Vietnamese in the 1960s and ‘70s) have used rubber suction cups; others have used adhesive materials such as sticky butyl rubber paste, and Velcro® hook-and-loop tape to attach the mine to some surfaces.

Securesearch, Inc. manufactures a number of replica military-type small limpet mines, such as the Soviet SPM and Type 158 mines, the British Clam mine. We also make examples of terrorist improvised magnetic mine designs based on magnetic pipe IEDs .

End-users involved in both underwater explosive ordnance reconnaissance and under-vehicle searches will find these inert training models very useful.