RPO Rys
| RPO Rys | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) A RPO Rys in Ukraine, 2014 | |
| Type | Rocket-propelled flamethrower |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | Since 1975 |
| Wars | Soviet–Afghan War First Chechen War Russo-Ukrainian War |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 3.2 kg - Launcher (empty) 9.4 kg - Cartridge 12.6 kg - Loaded |
| Length | 500 mm - Unloaded 1440 mm - Loaded |
| Caliber | 110 mm |
| Rate of fire | 1 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 125 m/s |
| Effective firing range | 190 m |
| Maximum firing range | 400 m |
| Sights | Iron sights |
RPO "Rys" (Russian: реактивный пехотный огнемёт «Рысь» (РПО «Рысь»), Rocket-propelled Infantry Flamethrower "Lynx") is a napalm rocket-propelled grenade launcher classified as a flamethrower by the Russian military. The RPO first entered service in 1975, and was intended to replace the obsolete LPO-50 flamethrower. Later it was replaced by the RPO-A Shmel.
Description
The RPO Rys shares some parts with RPG-16, like the firing mechanism, however, The weapon is breech loaded. It also resembles the RPG-29, and can be mistaken for it. While classified as a flamethrower, it does not function like one in the "traditional" sense, as it does not spew out a stream of burning napalm from the barrel; instead, it fires capsuled, solid propellant, napalm filled rockets. The rockets are filled with 4 liters of napalm and have a muzzle velocity of around 125 m/s with an effective range of 190 meters. The RPO also has a bipod for stability, and a maximum sighting range of 400 meters.
Operational history
In 2017, the OSCE mission to Ukraine reported that used RPO Rys containers were seen at a Donetsk People's Republic training area, near Oleksandrivsk.
See also
- RPO-A Shmel: Thermobaric rocket launcher / flamethrower
- MGK Bur: Miniaturized thermobaric rocket launcher / flamethrower
Users
References
- ↑ RPO Rys[dead link] Retrieved 4 July 2018.
- ↑ Stephen Hughes (2002). The Iraqi Threat and Saddam Hussein's Weapons of Mass Destruction. Trafford. p. 411. ISBN 1-55369-163-6.
- ↑ "Elite Russian Airborne units land on drifting ice flows in the Arctic". 5 April 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
- 1 2 "Hoảng hốt sức mạnh súng phun lửa RYS của Nga" [Raising the power of flamethrower RYS of Russia] (in Vietnamese). 18 October 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
- ↑ "Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 20 March 2017". Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
- ↑ Pierangelo Tendas (7 July 2014). "KBP MGK "Bur"". Retrieved 4 July 2018.