RPO-A Shmel (Bumblebee)

RPO "Bumblebee" (rus."РПО-А Шмель") is a man-portable rocket launcher produced and exported by Russia and the former Soviet Union.

Description

The RPO is a single-shot, self-contained tube shaped launcher which operates much like some RPG and LAW rocket launchers. The launcher is 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.

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 designed to spread fire and ignite targets. Finally, there is a smoke producing warhead offered, the RPO-D.

pecifications

Specifications provided by Jane's: [cite web | url = http://www.janes.com/defence/land_forces/news/jidr/jidr010104_3_n.shtml | title = RPO-A Shmel rocket infantry flame-thrower | last = Gander | first = Terry | date = 2001-01-05 | publisher = Jane's | work = Land Forces]
* Calibre: 93 mm
* Length:
** Launcher: 920 mm
** Rocket: 700 mm
* Weight:
** Single weapon: 11 kg
** Transit pack of two: 22 kg
* Sighting range: 600 m
* Range:
** Minimum: 20 m
** Maximum: 1,000 m
* Initial velocity: 125 ±5 m/s
* Warhead:
** RPO-A: 2.1 kg thermobaric
** RPO-Z: 2.1 kg incendiary
** RPO-D: 2.3 kg smoke
* Operational temperature range: −50 to +50ºC
* Shelf life: 10 years

Operators

*
*
*
* [cite web | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/armstrade/story/0,10674,604182,00.html | title = UK dealers sell 'vacuum bombs' to Sri Lanka | author = Wilson, Jamie and Crew, Bob | date = 2001-11-23 | publisher = Guardian Unlimited] [cite web | url = http://www.tamilcanadian.com/page.php?cat=68&id=421&page=0 | title = Big Stink over Schmel Launchers | first = Frederica | last = Jansz | date = 2001-08-12 | publisher = TamilCanadian]

ervice history

RPO weapons have seen use by the Soviet Army in Afghanistan and by both the Russian and the rebel forces in and near Chechnya, including during the battles of Grozny.

The use of the RPO by Russian special forces has been implicated in possibly starting the fire which claimed a number of lives in the Beslan school hostage crisis. [cite web | url = http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/07/21/004.html | title = A Reversal over Beslan Only Fuels Speculation | author = Medetsky, Anatoly and Voitova, Yana | date = 2005-07-21 | publisher = The Moscow Times]

ee also

*M202A1 FLASH, a similar weapon developed by the US Army

References

External links

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgRJRpGJfbg Video of the Schmel in use]
* [http://www.shipunov.com/eng/str/grenades/rpo.htm RPO-A, RPO-D and RPO-Z Infantry rocket flamethrowers - Shipunov]
* [http://warfare.ru/video/wmv/shmel.mpg Video of RPO-A destroying building (MPG)]