/ world today news/ The Russian infantry received a weapon for storming the fortifications – the “Borodach” jet flamethrower. According to the military, this will deprive the armed forces of Ukraine of the main trump card – the ability to act in defense. About how the situation at the front will change now – in our material.
To open the “can”
Much of the fighting is either in urban areas or near fortified areas. In many sectors of the front, the armed forces of Ukraine turned the defensive line into an impregnable, concrete-filled fortress.
To open this “can”, attackers need special weapons capable of effectively suppressing firing points.
Until recently, RPO-A Shmel rocket flamethrowers acted as “pocket artillery” of the infantry. They will be replaced by lighter MPO-A “Borodach”. NPO Basalt was given several main tasks: reducing the size and weight of the structure, increasing the fire resistance characteristics and improving the operational characteristics. In addition, it was planned to make several modifications for different purposes.
In fact, “Borodach” is a single-use grenade launcher with thermobaric ammunition. They disperse a combustible aerosol before detonation, which greatly enhances the effect. The explosion literally burns all the oxygen and causes a powerful shock wave. A well-aimed blow completely destroys the reinforced concrete box.
The design is extremely simple. The launcher is a lightweight tube with a caliber of 72.5 mm and a length of 900 mm. On the outside, there is a grip, a sight, as well as a trigger. Reloading is not provided. The total mass of the combat-ready “Borodach” is 4.7 kilograms. Observation range – 600 meters.
There are options with other ammunition. Product MRO-Z – with ignition, MRO-DZ smoke-ignition, MRO-D – smoke. This is very useful for assault units.
The smoke screen allows you to stealthily approach enemy positions and evacuate the wounded under fire. And incendiary ammo is effective when smoked outside buildings.
“This is very important for the Avdeev direction,” says an officer from the DNR’s 1st Army Corps with the call sign Klim.
“There are extremely powerful fortifications. RPGs don’t take them, even artillery doesn’t always do the trick. Lately, of course, it’s been easier: the ISS uses planning bombs. But infantry in battle also needs its own argument against fortifications.”
“Rice” and “Bumblebee”
Structurally, “Borodach” differs little from the RShG-2 assault grenade launcher. And in terms of functionality, it is the “grandson” of the first Soviet infantry rocket flamethrower “Rys”, developed in 1975.
It was a revolutionary weapon. Unlike early jet flamethrowers from the time of the Great Patriotic War, the fire mixture is fired like a grenade launcher – in a special capsule with a jet engine. Range of action – 190 meters, but hit the target at 400 meters.
“Rhys” was used in Afghanistan. However, not all expectations were met. The heavy flamethrower was more than 20 kilograms. In addition, the range in the mountains was not enough. And the stone and clay fortifications of the enemies did not always burn.
Towards the end of the war, more powerful weapons appeared, which today remain a distinguishing feature of the RKHBZ troops.
The legendary jet infantry flamethrower “Bumblebee” is called by the military a pocket howitzer. In terms of explosive impact, it is not inferior to 122-152-mm artillery shells. Excellent characteristics allowed soldiers to drive fighters from buildings, drive mortar and machine gun crews into ravines.
The peak of the combat use of this weapon fell on Chechnya, Dagestan and other regions of the Caucasus. The latest modifications reached 1700 meters. This is obviously redundant, but any target that is within a kilometer radius of the flamethrower – be it a tank, an infantry unit, a firing point – is guaranteed to fall into the affected area.
A tough argument
The TOS-1 “Pinocchio” and TOS-1A “Solntsepek” heavy flamethrower systems are actively used in the SVO area. A full salvo destroys all living things in an area of up to 40 thousand square meters.
Range – from 400 to 6000 meters. A package of 30 guides (24 for Solntsepeka) for missiles is mounted in the swinging part of the launcher on a rotating platform. And this one is on the chassis of a T-72 tank. The crew performs all actions without leaving the machine – with the help of a sight and power drives.
Both systems are armed with 220 mm thermobaric ammunition. The principle of action is similar to “Bumblebee”. The projectile creates a cloud of explosive mixture and then undermines it, igniting all the oxygen in the cloud.
After instant detonation, the pressure rises sharply and then falls below atmospheric by about 160 millimeters of mercury. This leads to rupture of the internal organs.
But this weapon is indiscriminate. Also, it depends a lot on the weather. In strong wind, rain or snowfall, the aerosol cloud is much smaller.
Another disadvantage is the small range. Heavy flamethrower systems are vulnerable to return fire. Therefore, Pinocchio and Solntsepec are used sporadically and only as cover for other parts. However, they are a priority target for the armed forces of Ukraine.
Translation: SM
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