Once the delay has burned through, a 4.5-gram black powder charge is ignited, which launches the inner iron body of the mine up into the air (leaving behind the steel outer sleeve).

[3] The mines were sold widely and copies were produced in several countries including Greece, India, Myanmar, South Korea and Turkey.

They can be found in the 'wild' in Angola, Burma, Cambodia, Chile, Cyprus, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Korea, Lebanon, Laos, Malawi, Mozambique, Myanmar, Oman, Rwanda, Somalia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Western Sahara, and Zambia.

[4] When emplaced, most of an M16 mine is buried underground so it can be extremely difficult to spot them visually, particularly in areas of long grass, heavy undergrowth or other debris.

[5] Deliberately triggering the mines from cover, using some form of grappling hook attached to a long rope, may be useful in some varied situations and provide an initial way into the minefield before further clearance work begins.