Russian flamethrower: from the beginnings to the present day
A flamethrower is one of the most demoralizing weapons on the battlefield. It is a mistake to assume that the German troops invented it first. This opinion came from the fact that it was Germany that first used flamethrowers during the hostilities of the First World War, but Russian military equipment had long been developing its apparatus. The events described took place in 1915-1916, but the prototype of the flamethrower appeared much earlier: the first mentions of such a tool date back to about the VII century. It was then called "Greek fire."
Initially, Greek fire was used in naval battles. In 673 and 717–718, the Arab fleet was burned with its help, 872 Cretan ships were destroyed in 20, and in 882 the fire-burning Byzantine ships (Helandria) again defeated the Arab the fleet. Since then, the design of flamethrowers has been improved for centuries, and mortality has increased tenfold.
It is believed that for the first time in a mass order flamethrowers were used by the 30.07.1915 fritz. against the British infantry. However, it was only a distant likeness of flamethrowers. In 1915-1916 in Russia, flamethrowers were also designed. In September 1915 was tested by knapsack flamethrowers of Professor Gorbov, in 1916 the army received the Tarnitsky flamethrower. Already in the autumn of 1916, the flamethrower teams of the Russian army were equipped with a Tobarnitsky flamethrower.
A little later, Strandin, Povarnin and the Capital created a high-explosive flamethrower (SPS-flamethrower). The range of such a tool was 35-50 meters.
However, the first prototype of the Soviet ROX-1 backpack flamethrower was created already after 24 of the year, in 1940 of the year. Cylinders with a combustible mixture were attached to the knapsack, and the flamethrowing gun itself resembled an ordinary gun. The Soviet model of the flamethrower was introduced into the combat mode later than the German one only because it was sent for revision, as a result of which the volume of flammable liquid and limiting flame throwing increased in the subsequent ROKS-3 model.
Throughout the Second World War, thanks to flamethrowers, many enemy forces were destroyed. Only according to approximate calculations of historians: manpower - 34 people, Tanks, self-propelled guns, armored personnel carriers - 120, bunkers, bunkers and other firing points - 3000, vehicles - 145. How powerful weapons become a flamethrower in our time?
Russia boasts developments that have virtually no analogues in the world. The "ancient" method of delivering a combustible mixture has sunk into oblivion. And if it was “overflowed” under pressure in flamethrowers of the military and post-war period, in 1970, Soviet gunsmith engineers created a fundamentally different weapon in their class: the rocket infantry flamethrower RPO “Lynx”.
After the transition to the new system, the main flagship of the Russian military-industrial complex was the rocket infantry flamethrower (RPO) "Bumblebee", which came to replace the flamethrower RPO "Rys". The Bumblebee, adopted by the chemical forces of the Soviet Army in 1988, was repeatedly improved and modernized, becoming one of the most powerful mobile guns to date.
At the moment, "Shmel-M" is in service (in different quantities) in flamethrowing units of the troops of radiation, chemical and biological protection, the marine infantry of Russia, special forces, in the armies of the CIS countries. Its last modification, Bumblebee-M, destroys all living things in volume to 80 m³, and its impact area is equal: in open areas - from 50 m², in confined spaces - to 80 m². The numbers are impressive, but in reality everything looks even more intimidating.
Tactical and technical indicators:
Caliber, mm: 90
Sighting range, m: 800
Capsule range, m: 1700
Weight of flamethrower, kg: 8,8
Mass of fire mixture in capsule, kg: 3,2
Length, mm: 940
Initially, Greek fire was used in naval battles. In 673 and 717–718, the Arab fleet was burned with its help, 872 Cretan ships were destroyed in 20, and in 882 the fire-burning Byzantine ships (Helandria) again defeated the Arab the fleet. Since then, the design of flamethrowers has been improved for centuries, and mortality has increased tenfold.
It is believed that for the first time in a mass order flamethrowers were used by the 30.07.1915 fritz. against the British infantry. However, it was only a distant likeness of flamethrowers. In 1915-1916 in Russia, flamethrowers were also designed. In September 1915 was tested by knapsack flamethrowers of Professor Gorbov, in 1916 the army received the Tarnitsky flamethrower. Already in the autumn of 1916, the flamethrower teams of the Russian army were equipped with a Tobarnitsky flamethrower.
A little later, Strandin, Povarnin and the Capital created a high-explosive flamethrower (SPS-flamethrower). The range of such a tool was 35-50 meters.
However, the first prototype of the Soviet ROX-1 backpack flamethrower was created already after 24 of the year, in 1940 of the year. Cylinders with a combustible mixture were attached to the knapsack, and the flamethrowing gun itself resembled an ordinary gun. The Soviet model of the flamethrower was introduced into the combat mode later than the German one only because it was sent for revision, as a result of which the volume of flammable liquid and limiting flame throwing increased in the subsequent ROKS-3 model.
Throughout the Second World War, thanks to flamethrowers, many enemy forces were destroyed. Only according to approximate calculations of historians: manpower - 34 people, Tanks, self-propelled guns, armored personnel carriers - 120, bunkers, bunkers and other firing points - 3000, vehicles - 145. How powerful weapons become a flamethrower in our time?
Russia boasts developments that have virtually no analogues in the world. The "ancient" method of delivering a combustible mixture has sunk into oblivion. And if it was “overflowed” under pressure in flamethrowers of the military and post-war period, in 1970, Soviet gunsmith engineers created a fundamentally different weapon in their class: the rocket infantry flamethrower RPO “Lynx”.
After the transition to the new system, the main flagship of the Russian military-industrial complex was the rocket infantry flamethrower (RPO) "Bumblebee", which came to replace the flamethrower RPO "Rys". The Bumblebee, adopted by the chemical forces of the Soviet Army in 1988, was repeatedly improved and modernized, becoming one of the most powerful mobile guns to date.
At the moment, "Shmel-M" is in service (in different quantities) in flamethrowing units of the troops of radiation, chemical and biological protection, the marine infantry of Russia, special forces, in the armies of the CIS countries. Its last modification, Bumblebee-M, destroys all living things in volume to 80 m³, and its impact area is equal: in open areas - from 50 m², in confined spaces - to 80 m². The numbers are impressive, but in reality everything looks even more intimidating.
Tactical and technical indicators:
Caliber, mm: 90
Sighting range, m: 800
Capsule range, m: 1700
Weight of flamethrower, kg: 8,8
Mass of fire mixture in capsule, kg: 3,2
Length, mm: 940
Information