FASCAM (Family of Scatterable Mines)

The United States and its NATO allies face an imposing threat from the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact nations. In the event of a war in NATO territory, Allied forces will be heavily outnumbered in tanks and armored fighting vehicles, and must be prepared to fight outnumbered, and win.

Mine warfare is an integral element in modern land combat as all of our recent conflicts have clearly demonstrated. Modern tactics and strategies have threatened the effectiveness of our conventional mines. Radical change in conventional mine de­sign was therefore necessary because:

The permanent nature of conventional minefields restricts later mobility of friendly troops

New and more effective countermeasures have reduced the conventional mine threat significantly

The accelerated pace of modern combat restricts and limits the manpower and time available for conventional mine placement and clearing.

Ib overcome these limitations, the U.S. Army Armament Re­search and Development Command (ARRADCOM), in associa­tion with the Air Force and Navy, has developed FASCAM (Family of Scatterable Mines). FASCAM is providing the Allied forces antiarmor and antipersonnel mines with quick strike emplacement capabilities through air, artillery, and special purpose ground vehicle delivery techniques. FASCAM is also providing remotely activated and deactivated weapons to counter the enemy’s growing strength and technology.