Flamethrower MPO-A "Borodach" at exhibitions and on the international market
MPO-A "Borodach" at one of the recent exhibitions
The Russian defense industry offers foreign customers a wide range of infantry weapons of various classes. In particular, the MRO-A "Borodach" small-sized jet flamethrower has recently been demonstrated at domestic and foreign military-technical exhibitions. This product should interest buyers with an advantageous combination of dimensions, weight and fire characteristics.
Flamethrower at exhibitions
The product MPO-A "Borodach" was created at the State Research and Production Enterprise "Basalt" (now NPO "Basalt" as part of the "Techmash" concern of the "Rostec" corporation). Development was carried out at the turn of the nineties and two thousandths. At the same time, the finished product passed the necessary tests and entered service with the Russian army and, according to some reports, special forces of other structures.
For a long time, the "Borodach" flamethrower was in service and was used in training events and real operations. At the same time, for a number of reasons, this weapon was not shown at public events, and it was not promoted in the international market.
The official premiere of the MPO-A product took place only last year at the Army-2022 military-technical forum. The exhibition layout of the flamethrower was accompanied by a sign "exhibited for the first time" and naturally attracted the attention of visitors. Probably, the foreign military did not miss the opportunity to get acquainted with these weapons, which may soon act as customers.
In February 2023, "Borodach" first appeared on a foreign site. Abu Dhabi (UAE) hosted the IDEX-2023 exhibition, and the Russian defense industry once again presented one of the largest expositions. Various samples of weapons and equipment were demonstrated, some of which came to a foreign exhibition for the first time. Among the latter was the MPO-A flamethrower. Like last time, this product interested visitors.
From May 17 to 20, Minsk hosted the MILEX-2023 exhibition - another traditional platform for demonstrating Russian developments. The small-sized flamethrower MPO-A was again present in the Russian exposition. Rostec noted that this weapon was shown for the first time at the Belarusian exhibition.
Showing weapons, the developers point out its advantages and positive features. In addition, the leadership of the Tekhmash concern recalled that the MRO-A is already in service with the Russian army. This means that the flamethrower has passed all the tests and confirmed its characteristics and potential. Therefore, foreign customers can be sure of its effectiveness.
small ruler
The MRO-A small-sized jet flamethrower was created as a lightweight and simplified addition to the existing RPO-A Shmel product. The project had several main tasks. It was necessary to reduce the dimensions and weight of the structure in comparison with its predecessor, increase fire performance and improve operational features. In addition, it was planned to make several modifications of the product with different ammunition options.
From the design point of view, the Beardach product is a disposable rocket-propelled grenade with thermobaric ammunition. The flamethrower is intended to destroy manpower or other unprotected targets in open areas or in shelters. To solve other problems and defeat other targets, modifications of the MPO-A with equipment of three other types are intended.
The main element of the MPO-A flamethrower is a disposable trigger. This is a lightweight tube with a caliber of 72,5 mm and a length of 900 mm, on which a handle for holding, a sight, and a launch production mechanism are installed on the outside. A rocket-propelled munition is placed inside the pipe at the production stage. Reloading of the product is not provided. The total mass of the combat-ready "Borodach" is 4,7 kg.
The weapon is aimed at the expense of a folding diopter sight, similar to that used on the Bumblebee. The front sight is rigidly fixed in front of the starting device. The descent is made using a lever on the top of the pipe. If necessary, the flamethrower can be transferred to the stowed position using a fuse that blocks the descent.
Thermobaric ammunition for MPO-A has a length of approx. 600 mm and weight 2,9 kg. Structurally, it is divided into the main body with a warhead, the tail section with an engine and a stabilizer. The jet engine provides the ejection of ammunition and completely burns out before leaving the launcher. Stabilization of the product during the flight is provided by the unfolded planes of the stabilizer. The maximum firing range is declared at the level of 450 m.
For disposable flamethrowers of the MPO series, four variants of the warhead have been developed. The MPO-A product is equipped with a thermobaric charge in a metal case, which is crushed into fragments. An MRO-Z flamethrower with incendiary equipment has also been developed. There are smoke-incendiary ammunition MRO-DZ and smoke MRO-D.
A characteristic feature of the "Bearded Man" is a reduced impact on the grenade launcher. By improving the jet engine, it was possible to reduce the pressure and thermal field at the outlet of the nozzle. Thanks to this, the flamethrower can be used in enclosed spaces with a volume of 20 cubic meters or more. In addition, shooting with elevation angles up to 45 ° and declination up to 90 ° is allowed. The flamethrower can fire from any position, incl. lying.
Looking for customers
The small-sized jet flamethrower MPO-A "Borodach" and a number of its modifications were created two decades ago and then entered service with Russian units. Until recently, export deliveries of such products were not carried out and, apparently, were not planned.
MPO-A assembly (top) and thermobaric munition
Only last year, the Bearded Man was shown for the first time at an exhibition where ordinary visitors and representatives of foreign armies could get acquainted with it. This year, MRO-A, along with other domestic developments, "visited" two more exhibitions, and now it is being shown abroad.
All this suggests that the Russian industry intends to find foreign buyers for a small-sized flamethrower. This domestic sample, despite its considerable age, attracts the attention of foreign military. It is quite possible that among the visitors of the Rostec exposition at IDEX or MILEX there were also future buyers of Borodacha.
It is easy to understand how the MPO-A product and its modifications may be of interest to a potential customer. So, the buyer is offered a light and compact weapon for its class with sufficiently high combat characteristics. The use of a thermobaric warhead made it possible to increase its power in comparison with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead of the same mass. At the same time, there are modifications with other equipment and other functions.
"Bearded man" has a simple design, and is also easy to learn and use. Small dimensions and weight simplify its transportation, incl. the forces of the fighters. At the same time, MPO-A or other modifications of the product complement other weapons of the unit and significantly increase its firepower, and also allow solving more complex tasks.
Future contracts
Thus, the Russian defense industry is not only arming our army and other structures, but is also looking for foreign customers for its products. Both the latest and older designs are regularly shown at various exhibitions in Russia and abroad.
As you can see, recently the Rostec State Corporation has begun to promote the MPO-A small-sized jet flamethrower on the international market. Which countries and how soon they wish to purchase such a product is not yet known. However, messages about the receipt of an order or even about the beginning of deliveries can arrive at any time. In addition, our army has already received the Bearded Men it needs, which is more important than any sales abroad.
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