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RPO-A Shmel

March 03, 2023

The RPO-A Shmel[5][6] (Russian: реактивный пехотный огнемёт-А Шмель (РПО-А Шмель), Rocket-propelled Infantry Flamethrower-A Bumblebee) is a man-portable disposable rocket-assisted flamethrower,[7][8] It is classified as a thermobaric warhead rocket launcher by some[who?] in the West.

RPO-A Shmel
RPO-Shmel and Launcher
TypeMissle launcher
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In serviceLate 1980s
Used bySee Operators
WarsSoviet–Afghan War
War in Afghanistan
First Chechen War
Second Chechen War
Kivu conflict[1]
Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
Syrian Civil War[2]
Iraqi Civil War[2]
War in Donbas[3]
Production history
DesignerKBP
Designed1980s
ManufacturerKBP
ProducedLate 1980s
VariantsSee Variants
Specifications
Mass11 kg (24 lb)
LengthLauncher: 920 mm
Rocket: 700mm
Caliber93 mm
Muzzle velocity125 ±5 m/s
Effective firing range20 m – 1000 m (sighting range is 600 m)
RPO-M is 1700 m (sighting range is 800 m)
Sightsiron
References[4]

The Shmel is designed, produced and exported by the Russian Federation and previously by the Soviet Union. It entered service with the Soviet Armed Forces at the end of the 1980s as the successor for the RPO Rys.

Description

The RPO-A is a single-shot, self-contained tube shaped launcher that operates much like the LAW anti-tank launcher, a sealed tube, carried in a man-pack in pairs. The same person can remove the tube, place it in firing position, and launch the weapon without assistance. After launch, the tube is discarded. All models are externally similar.[8]

Designed to defeat concealed enemy firing positions, disable lightly armored vehicles and destroy enemy manpower. The aiming range of a flamethrower with a diopter sight is 600 meters, with an OPO optical sight - 450 m, OPO-1 - up to 850 m.

Ammunition

Each weapon contains a single rocket, of which there are three varieties. The basic rocket is the RPO-A, which has a thermobaric warhead and is designed for attacking soft targets under moderate cover. The RPO-Z is the incendiary warhead (Rus. зажигательный / Zazhigatel'nyy, Incendiary) designed to spread fire and ignite targets. There is a smoke-producing warhead (Rus. дымовой / Dymovoy, Smoke) offered, the RPO-D.

Variants

 
RPO PDM-A Shmel-M

An updated development is the improved RPO-M "Shmel-M" that was shown for the first time at Eurosatory 2006. This version is similar to the original weapon, but has a calibre of 90 mm, a weight of 8.8 kg (19 lb), and an overall length of 940 mm. The system has better ergonomics, an improved rocket, and better ballistics and terminal effects. It consists of a disposable launching tube attached to a reusable fire control unit that includes the pistol grip, electronic trigger and safety, and a folding base with an optical sight and additional rail for an infrared/night vision sight. Effective range is 300 m, maximum sighting range is 800 m, and maximum range is 1,700 m. The thermobaric warhead's blast effect is equivalent to 5.5 kg (12 lb) of TNT, comparable to a 155 mm artillery shell. The "Shmel-M" is also known as RPO PDM-A (Rus. Повышенной Дальности и Мощности / Povyshennoy Dal'nosti i Moshchnosti — "enhanced range and power") and is produced for the local and export markets. A version with a mechanical sight was adopted on 24 December 2003.[9][10][11][12][13]

The MRO-A is a smaller development of the RPO-series with caliber reduced to 72.5 mm, similar to the RShG-2. It is self-contained, disposable, single-shot recoilless launcher with an overall length of 900 mm, weight of 4.7 kg (10 lb), and has a folding forward grip. The sights are RPO-based, with a fixed front and folding ladder-type diopter rear, giving an effective range of 90 m and maximum range of 450 m. The MRO-series includes different versions, again based on RPO versions: MRO-A thermobaric; MRO-D white phosphorus smoke; and MRO-Z incendiary. It was adopted by the Russian army around 2002 and issued to chemical troops to supplement the larger RPO-A.[14][3][15][16]

MGK Bur [17] (Rus. Малогабаритный Гранатомётный Комплекс "Бур" / Malogabaritnyy Granatomotnyy Kompleks "Bur" — Compact Grenade-launching System "Auger") is a 62 mm version of the RPO-M consisting of two major components: the disposable launch tube and reusable fire control unit. Described as "the most compact grenade launcher in the world," the weapon has an overall length of 742 mm and weighs 5 kg (11 lb). Loaded tubes weigh 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) and can fire thermobaric (blast yield similar to 6 kg (13 lb) of TNT, or a 122 mm artillery rocket) or fragmentation warheads. The fire control unit is the same one used on the RPO-M, weighing 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) and enabling ranges of 25–650 m with the baseline day sight; night and thermal systems are also available. Maximum range is 950 meters, with a firing mechanism service life of at least 500 rounds. It can be fired in confined spaces with a volume of at least 30 cubic meters. As of October 2014, it has been accepted into service and serial production has been started.[18][19][20][21][22][23]

Service history

RPO weapons have seen use by the Soviet Army in Afghanistan and by both the Russian invasion forces and Chechen resistance forces in the First and Second Chechen Wars. On September 3, 2005, Russian forces used RPO-A Shmel as part of the effort to end the Beslan school siege.[24] On 9 August 2014, during the War in Donbas, the Ukrainian border checkpoint of Milove was attacked using RPO flamethrowers. The main building was hit by five incendiary rockets.[25] It was used by Indian Army in September 2016 for surgical strike against insurgents in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir successfully. It was also used on 8 February 2017 in Ukraine, killing DPR commander Mikhail "Givi" Tolstykh.[26] The munition has seen wide use by the Russian Federation in its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Operators

 
Map with RPO-A operators in blue and former operators in red

Current operators

Former operators

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Small Arms Survey (2015). (PDF). Small Arms Survey 2015: weapons and the world (PDF). Cambridge University Press. p. 203. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-01-28. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  2. ^ a b "This "Bumblebee" Flamethrower Packs a Mean Stinger". 4 November 2015. from the original on 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  3. ^ a b c d Smallwood, Michael (1 June 2014). "Russian MRO-A Rocket Launchers in Ukraine". armamentresearch.com. from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  4. ^ Gander, Terry (2001-01-05). . Land Forces. Jane's. Archived from the original on July 9, 2006.
  5. ^ "Archived copy". from the original on 2016-12-15. Retrieved 2016-12-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ "Flew, exploded, burned to the ground: What can a manual "bumblebee"-the killer". from the original on 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2018-02-14.
  7. ^ ""SHMEL" INFANTRY ROCKET-ASSISTED FLAMETHROWER". KBP Instrument Design Bureau.
  8. ^ a b Sergeev, S. G. (1989). Weapon handling manual. 93mm rocket assisted infantry flamethrower (RPO-A) [In Russian]. Ministry of Defence. USSR.
  9. ^ . kbptula.ru. Archived from the original on March 27, 2010.
  10. ^ "Modern Firearms". 28 October 2010. from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  11. ^ David Crane (19 July 2006). "New RPO Shmel-M Infantry Rocket Flamethrower Man-Packable Thermobaric Weapon". DefenseReview.com (DR): An online tactical technology and military defense technology magazine with particular focus on the latest and greatest tactical firearms news (tactical gun news), tactical gear news and tactical shooting news. from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  12. ^ "Rocket Flamethrower Shmel-M (Огнемет Шмель-М)". YouTube. from the original on 24 June 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  13. ^ "ОАО "Конструкторское бюро приборостроения" - РПО ПДМ-А Шмель-М". from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  14. ^ MRO-A small disposable thermbaric grenade launcher /rocket propelled flame-thrower (Russia) 2016-12-24 at the Wayback Machine - Modernfirearms.net
  15. ^ Russian MRO-A thermobaric rocket launchers in Syria 2017-07-09 at the Wayback Machine - Armamentresearch.com, 30 October 2015
  16. ^ Russian MRO-A Rocket Launchers in the Ukraine 2016-12-24 at the Wayback Machine - SAdefensejournal.com, 1 January 2016
  17. ^ "KBP MGK "Bur"". from the original on 2018-02-11. Retrieved 2018-02-10.
  18. ^ (in English) http://kbptula.ru/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=309&Itemid=653&lang=en#spoiler_0 2013-10-22 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ "Впервые на IDEX-2013 КБП рекламирует многоцелевой ракетный комплекс дальнего действия "Корнет-ЭМ"". ЦАМТО (in Russian). Moscow: Centre for Analysis of World Arms Trade. 18 February 2013. from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  20. ^ "ТАСС: Армия и ОПК - В Туле налажен серийный выпуск гранатометов "Бур"". ТАСС. from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  21. ^ BUR grenade launcher 2016-12-24 at the Wayback Machine - Modernfirearms.net
  22. ^ Small-size grenade launcher in production 2016-12-24 at the Wayback Machine - Janes.com, 6 November 2014
  23. ^ Bur small-sized grenade launcher entered in service with Russian anti-terrorist units 2016-12-24 at the Wayback Machine - Armyrecognition.com, 29 June 2016
  24. ^ Medetsky, Anatoly; Voitova, Yana (2005-07-21). "A Reversal Over Beslan Only Fuels Speculation". The Moscow Times. from the original on 2011-09-03.
  25. ^ "Погранзаставу в Меловом обстреляли из огнеметов с территории РФ". Liga News. 9 August 2014. from the original on 12 August 2014.
  26. ^ "Separatist commander Mikhail Tolstykh, 'Givi', killed in eastern Ukraine". CBCNews. from the original on 20 March 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  27. ^ Bhatia, Michael Vinai; Sedra, Mark (May 2008). Small Arms Survey (ed.). Afghanistan, Arms and Conflict: Armed Groups, Disarmament and Security in a Post-War Society. Routledge. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-415-45308-0. from the original on 2018-09-01. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  28. ^ "Belarusian Army has adopted Russian PDM-A Priz 90 mm rocket launcher | February 2019 Global Defense Security army news industry | Defense Security global news industry army 2019 | Archive News year". from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
  29. ^ Small Arms Survey (2003). . Small Arms Survey 2003: Development Denied. Oxford University Press. pp. 262–263. ISBN 0199251754. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-29. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  30. ^ ":: Rosyjska broń dla Fidżi" (in Polish). altair.pl. from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
  31. ^ . Georgian Army. Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
  32. ^ "KBP RPO-A (Shmel)". from the original on 2018-02-03. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  33. ^ Green lemon [@green_lemonnn] (17 December 2015). "#Syria RPO-A Shmel Thermobaric rockets used by NDF/SAA in Jabal Al Nuba against rebels /JN" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

External links

  • RPO-A Shmel - Military-Today
  • RPO-A - Modern Firearms
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shmel.

March 03, 2023
shmel, russian, реактивный, пехотный, огнемёт, Шмель, РПО, Шмель, rocket, propelled, infantry, flamethrower, bumblebee, portable, disposable, rocket, assisted, flamethrower, classified, thermobaric, warhead, rocket, launcher, some, west, shmel, launchertypemis. The RPO A Shmel 5 6 Russian reaktivnyj pehotnyj ognemyot A Shmel RPO A Shmel Rocket propelled Infantry Flamethrower A Bumblebee is a man portable disposable rocket assisted flamethrower 7 8 It is classified as a thermobaric warhead rocket launcher by some who in the West RPO A ShmelRPO Shmel and LauncherTypeMissle launcherPlace of originSoviet UnionService historyIn serviceLate 1980sUsed bySee OperatorsWarsSoviet Afghan WarWar in AfghanistanFirst Chechen WarSecond Chechen WarKivu conflict 1 Insurgency in Jammu and KashmirSyrian Civil War 2 Iraqi Civil War 2 War in Donbas 3 Production historyDesignerKBPDesigned1980sManufacturerKBPProducedLate 1980sVariantsSee VariantsSpecificationsMass11 kg 24 lb LengthLauncher 920 mmRocket 700mmCaliber93 mmMuzzle velocity125 5 m sEffective firing range20 m 1000 m sighting range is 600 m RPO M is 1700 m sighting range is 800 m SightsironReferences 4 The Shmel is designed produced and exported by the Russian Federation and previously by the Soviet Union It entered service with the Soviet Armed Forces at the end of the 1980s as the successor for the RPO Rys Contents 1 Description 1 1 Ammunition 2 Variants 3 Service history 4 Operators 4 1 Current operators 4 2 Former operators 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksDescription EditThe RPO A is a single shot self contained tube shaped launcher that operates much like the LAW anti tank launcher a sealed tube carried in a man pack in pairs The same person can remove the tube place it in firing position and launch the weapon without assistance After launch the tube is discarded All models are externally similar 8 Designed to defeat concealed enemy firing positions disable lightly armored vehicles and destroy enemy manpower The aiming range of a flamethrower with a diopter sight is 600 meters with an OPO optical sight 450 m OPO 1 up to 850 m Ammunition Edit Each weapon contains a single rocket of which there are three varieties The basic rocket is the RPO A which has a thermobaric warhead and is designed for attacking soft targets under moderate cover The RPO Z is the incendiary warhead Rus zazhigatelnyj Zazhigatel nyy Incendiary designed to spread fire and ignite targets There is a smoke producing warhead Rus dymovoj Dymovoy Smoke offered the RPO D Variants Edit RPO PDM A Shmel M An updated development is the improved RPO M Shmel M that was shown for the first time at Eurosatory 2006 This version is similar to the original weapon but has a calibre of 90 mm a weight of 8 8 kg 19 lb and an overall length of 940 mm The system has better ergonomics an improved rocket and better ballistics and terminal effects It consists of a disposable launching tube attached to a reusable fire control unit that includes the pistol grip electronic trigger and safety and a folding base with an optical sight and additional rail for an infrared night vision sight Effective range is 300 m maximum sighting range is 800 m and maximum range is 1 700 m The thermobaric warhead s blast effect is equivalent to 5 5 kg 12 lb of TNT comparable to a 155 mm artillery shell The Shmel M is also known as RPO PDM A Rus Povyshennoj Dalnosti i Moshnosti Povyshennoy Dal nosti i Moshchnosti enhanced range and power and is produced for the local and export markets A version with a mechanical sight was adopted on 24 December 2003 9 10 11 12 13 The MRO A is a smaller development of the RPO series with caliber reduced to 72 5 mm similar to the RShG 2 It is self contained disposable single shot recoilless launcher with an overall length of 900 mm weight of 4 7 kg 10 lb and has a folding forward grip The sights are RPO based with a fixed front and folding ladder type diopter rear giving an effective range of 90 m and maximum range of 450 m The MRO series includes different versions again based on RPO versions MRO A thermobaric MRO D white phosphorus smoke and MRO Z incendiary It was adopted by the Russian army around 2002 and issued to chemical troops to supplement the larger RPO A 14 3 15 16 MGK Bur 17 Rus Malogabaritnyj Granatomyotnyj Kompleks Bur Malogabaritnyy Granatomotnyy Kompleks Bur Compact Grenade launching System Auger is a 62 mm version of the RPO M consisting of two major components the disposable launch tube and reusable fire control unit Described as the most compact grenade launcher in the world the weapon has an overall length of 742 mm and weighs 5 kg 11 lb Loaded tubes weigh 3 5 kg 7 7 lb and can fire thermobaric blast yield similar to 6 kg 13 lb of TNT or a 122 mm artillery rocket or fragmentation warheads The fire control unit is the same one used on the RPO M weighing 1 5 kg 3 3 lb and enabling ranges of 25 650 m with the baseline day sight night and thermal systems are also available Maximum range is 950 meters with a firing mechanism service life of at least 500 rounds It can be fired in confined spaces with a volume of at least 30 cubic meters As of October 2014 it has been accepted into service and serial production has been started 18 19 20 21 22 23 Service history EditRPO weapons have seen use by the Soviet Army in Afghanistan and by both the Russian invasion forces and Chechen resistance forces in the First and Second Chechen Wars On September 3 2005 Russian forces used RPO A Shmel as part of the effort to end the Beslan school siege 24 On 9 August 2014 during the War in Donbas the Ukrainian border checkpoint of Milove was attacked using RPO flamethrowers The main building was hit by five incendiary rockets 25 It was used by Indian Army in September 2016 for surgical strike against insurgents in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir successfully It was also used on 8 February 2017 in Ukraine killing DPR commander Mikhail Givi Tolstykh 26 The munition has seen wide use by the Russian Federation in its 2022 invasion of Ukraine Operators Edit Map with RPO A operators in blue and former operators in red Current operators Edit Russia Donetsk People s Republic 3 recognition disputed internationally Armenia Afghanistan 27 Belarus The PDM A Priz is replacing the RPO A Shmel flamethrower 28 China Produced under license in the name PF97 Republic of CongoCobra militia received several RPO A in September 1997 29 Fiji 30 Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda 1 North Korea citation needed Sri Lanka citation needed Kazakhstan citation needed Georgia 31 32 India citation needed Ukraine 3 Vietnam citation needed Syria 33 VenezuelaFormer operators Edit Soviet Union Federal Republic of Yugoslavia citation needed Chechen Republic of IchkeriaSee also EditFHJ 84 an over under two shot variant from China M202A1 FLASH a similar weapon developed by the US Army List of Russian weaponry Russian NBC Protection Troops main user References Edit a b Small Arms Survey 2015 Waning Cohesion The Rise and Fall of the FDLR FOCA PDF Small Arms Survey 2015 weapons and the world PDF Cambridge University Press p 203 Archived from the original PDF on 2018 01 28 Retrieved 2018 08 29 a b This Bumblebee Flamethrower Packs a Mean Stinger 4 November 2015 Archived from the original on 2018 02 15 Retrieved 2018 02 15 a b c d Smallwood Michael 1 June 2014 Russian MRO A Rocket Launchers in Ukraine armamentresearch com Archived from the original on 29 November 2016 Retrieved 23 December 2016 Gander Terry 2001 01 05 RPO A Shmel rocket infantry flame thrower Land Forces Jane s Archived from the original on July 9 2006 Archived copy Archived from the original on 2016 12 15 Retrieved 2016 12 23 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Flew exploded burned to the ground What can a manual bumblebee the killer Archived from the original on 2018 02 15 Retrieved 2018 02 14 SHMEL INFANTRY ROCKET ASSISTED FLAMETHROWER KBP Instrument Design Bureau a b Sergeev S G 1989 Weapon handling manual 93mm rocket assisted infantry flamethrower RPO A In Russian Ministry of Defence USSR KBP Infantry Rocket Assisted Flamethrower of Enhanced Range and Lethality kbptula ru Archived from the original on March 27 2010 Modern Firearms 28 October 2010 Archived from the original on 20 December 2014 Retrieved 26 November 2014 David Crane 19 July 2006 New RPO Shmel M Infantry Rocket Flamethrower Man Packable Thermobaric Weapon DefenseReview com DR An online tactical technology and military defense technology magazine with particular focus on the latest and greatest tactical firearms news tactical gun news tactical gear news and tactical shooting news Archived from the original on 27 October 2014 Retrieved 26 November 2014 Rocket Flamethrower Shmel M Ognemet Shmel M YouTube Archived from the original on 24 June 2014 Retrieved 26 November 2014 OAO Konstruktorskoe byuro priborostroeniya RPO PDM A Shmel M Archived from the original on 15 December 2014 Retrieved 26 November 2014 MRO A small disposable thermbaric grenade launcher rocket propelled flame thrower Russia Archived 2016 12 24 at the Wayback Machine Modernfirearms net Russian MRO A thermobaric rocket launchers in Syria Archived 2017 07 09 at the Wayback Machine Armamentresearch com 30 October 2015 Russian MRO A Rocket Launchers in the Ukraine Archived 2016 12 24 at the Wayback Machine SAdefensejournal com 1 January 2016 KBP MGK Bur Archived from the original on 2018 02 11 Retrieved 2018 02 10 in English http kbptula ru index php option com content amp view article amp id 309 amp Itemid 653 amp lang en spoiler 0 Archived 2013 10 22 at the Wayback Machine Vpervye na IDEX 2013 KBP reklamiruet mnogocelevoj raketnyj kompleks dalnego dejstviya Kornet EM CAMTO in Russian Moscow Centre for Analysis of World Arms Trade 18 February 2013 Archived from the original on 12 November 2013 Retrieved 25 March 2013 TASS Armiya i OPK V Tule nalazhen serijnyj vypusk granatometov Bur TASS Archived from the original on 29 October 2014 Retrieved 26 November 2014 BUR grenade launcher Archived 2016 12 24 at the Wayback Machine Modernfirearms net Small size grenade launcher in production Archived 2016 12 24 at the Wayback Machine Janes com 6 November 2014 Bur small sized grenade launcher entered in service with Russian anti terrorist units Archived 2016 12 24 at the Wayback Machine Armyrecognition com 29 June 2016 Medetsky Anatoly Voitova Yana 2005 07 21 A Reversal Over Beslan Only Fuels Speculation The Moscow Times Archived from the original on 2011 09 03 Pogranzastavu v Melovom obstrelyali iz ognemetov s territorii RF Liga News 9 August 2014 Archived from the original on 12 August 2014 Separatist commander Mikhail Tolstykh Givi killed in eastern Ukraine CBCNews Archived from the original on 20 March 2017 Retrieved 3 April 2017 Bhatia Michael Vinai Sedra Mark May 2008 Small Arms Survey ed Afghanistan Arms and Conflict Armed Groups Disarmament and Security in a Post War Society Routledge p 66 ISBN 978 0 415 45308 0 Archived from the original on 2018 09 01 Retrieved 2018 09 01 Belarusian Army has adopted Russian PDM A Priz 90 mm rocket launcher February 2019 Global Defense Security army news industry Defense Security global news industry army 2019 Archive News year Archived from the original on 2019 02 02 Retrieved 2019 02 02 Small Arms Survey 2003 Making the Difference Weapon Collection and Small Arms Availability in the Republic of Congo Small Arms Survey 2003 Development Denied Oxford University Press pp 262 263 ISBN 0199251754 Archived from the original PDF on 2018 08 29 Retrieved 2018 08 29 Rosyjska bron dla Fidzi in Polish altair pl Archived from the original on 2016 03 04 Retrieved 2016 02 21 Armament of the Georgian Army Georgian Army Archived from the original on 2012 03 09 Retrieved 2007 06 25 KBP RPO A Shmel Archived from the original on 2018 02 03 Retrieved 2018 02 02 Green lemon green lemonnn 17 December 2015 Syria RPO A Shmel Thermobaric rockets used by NDF SAA in Jabal Al Nuba against rebels JN Tweet via Twitter External links EditRPO A Shmel Military Today RPO A Modern Firearms Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shmel Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title RPO A Shmel amp oldid 1139757496, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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