Military question: Anti-aircraft mines

[MEBuckner]

Now I have this picture of explosives-laden helium balloons… (Of coure, there is the barrage balloon.)

At any rate:

Antiaircraft Mines

This type of mine is still emerging from the technological shadows. The first improvised antihelicopter mines appeared during the Vietnam War and were used by the Viet Cong on potential landing zones.54 During the Cold War, the Russians developed an antiaircraft mine based on their surface-to-air (SA)-7/14 missile for use by their special-purpose forces (SPETZNAZ) against NATO airbases.55 In the 1990s, Britain and the United States had developmental programs for producing “smart” antihelicopter mines that could be deployed to engage low-flying helicopters, but these have been cancelled.56 However, a Russian company is looking for partners to help fund the development and fielding of the “Temp 20,” an antihelicopter mine with a lethal range of 200 meters.57 Some of the technologies being developed for the Ballistic Missile Defense Office could even be considered orbiting space mines. – The Origins of Military Mines, Part II