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99501 bottom influence mine

----- ARCHIVED RECORD -----

EQUIPMENT CATEGORY: Naval Mines/Torpedoes -- Mines

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Russia

DESCRIPTION

A bottom influence mine.

STATUS

The current operational status of this system is not available. Reportedly available for export in the 1980s. No longer reported in use by Russia.
Formerly in use by Libya, which may have transferred some 99501 mines to Iran in the late 1980s (see "NOTES").

CHARACTERISTICS
WEIGHTS
Warhead 1,655 lb (750 kg)
PERFORMANCE
Minimum depth unavailable
Maximum depth less than 330 ft (100 m)
WARHEAD
trotyl conventional explosive
SENSORS/FIRE CONTROL
multiple influence detonator,
reported by the Royal Navy to be
acoustic-magnetic-seismic

ISSUES AND NOTES

Unknown to Western sources until 1984, when a 99501 mine was recovered by the Royal Navy in the Gulf of Suez. During that time, the
Libyan RO /RO ship GHAT reportedly laid as many as 17 of these "Soviet-export" mines and at least 16 ships detonated mines from early July
through mid-September 1984. ( Three other ships reported mine explosions, but the circumstances of these incidents did not support the
claims.)

Reports in the Western press in the late summer of 1987 indicated that Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi had offered to trade 99501-type
mines to Iran in exchange for chemical warfare technology. U.S. State Dept. officials confirmed in late September of that year that the trade
had been made.

OPERATIONAL NOTES

None.

LATEST UPDATE: 1 February 2009

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