Back آر بي أو-أيه شمل Arabic RPO (Raketenwerfer) German RPO-A Chmel French RPO-A Shmel ID RPOロケットランチャー Japanese RPO-A Shmel NB Miotacz ognia RPO Trzmiel Polish RPO-A Shmel Portuguese Шмель (огнемёт) Russian Джміль (вогнемет) Ukrainian
| RPO-A Shmel | |
|---|---|
 RPO-Shmel and Launcher | |
| Type | Missile launcher |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1986–present |
| Used by | See Operators |
| Wars | Soviet–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] Russo-Ukrainian War[3] Israel-Hamas war |
| Production history | |
| Designer | KBP |
| Designed | 1984 |
| Manufacturer | KBP |
| Produced | Late 1980s |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 11 kg (24 lb) |
| Length | Launcher: 920 mm Rocket: 700mm |
| Caliber | 93 mm |
| Muzzle velocity | 125 ±5 m/s |
| Effective firing range | 20 m – 1000 m (sighting range is 600 m) RPO-M is 1700 m (sighting range is 800 m) |
| Sights | iron |
| References | [4] |
The RPO-A Shmel[5][6] (Russian: реактивный пехотный огнемёт РПО-А «Шмель», lit. 'rocket-propelled infantry flamethrower "Bumblebee"') is a man-portable, single-use, rocket-assisted thermobaric weapon.[7][8] While its name directly translates to flamethrower (and it is classified as such in Russian military documents), the RPO-A Shmel is more accurately described as a thermobaric weapon.[9] 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.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
FDLRwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "This "Bumblebee" Flamethrower Packs a Mean Stinger". 4 November 2015. Archived from the original on 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "RPO-A Shmel Thermobaric Rocket Launcher | Military-Today.com". Archived from the original on 2016-12-15. Retrieved 2016-12-23.
- ^ "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. Archived from the original on 2021-02-24. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
- ^ Sergeev, S. G. (1989). Weapon handling manual. 93mm rocket assisted infantry flamethrower (RPO-A) [In Russian]. Ministry of Defence. USSR.
- ^ Cranny-Evans, Samuel (15 August 2022). "The Inner Workings of Russia's Thermobaric Weapons". Army Technology. Verdict Media. Retrieved 25 March 2024.