LPO-50
The LPO-50 is a Soviet flamethrower.
| Weight, Empty | 14.8 kg |
| Weight, Full | 23.0 kg |
| Weight of gun | 3.2 kg |
| Gun length | 968mm |
| Total Capacity | 10.2 liters |
| Tank Capacity | 3.4 liters |
| Range, Max | 70m |
| Range, Direct Fire | 40-50m |
| Rate of Fire | 3 shots / 5-7 sec |
| Total Shots | 3 |
Developed in 1953 to replace the ROKS-1/2 flamethrowers used during World War Two, [1] it was kept in the inventory well into the 1980s. This model was designed as a lightweight, manpack flamethrower with three upright cylinders and a bipod-mounted flame gun. [2] It differed from Western flamethrowers in that it used special ignition cartridges to expel the thickened fuel mixture rather than an inert gas. During the 1960s, the weapon was manufactured by the People's Republic of China. It was replaced in Soviet service by the single shot RPO and RPO-A Shmel incendiary rocket launchers in the 1980s.
The United States Congress in 2011 cites an Irish Times article, reporting that the Irish Republican Army had an estimated 6 units of this model of flamethrower (prior to 2001). [3]
References
- ↑ РУКОВОДСТВО ПО ЛЕГКОМУ ПЕХОТНОМУ ОГНЕМЕТЫ ЛПО-50. Moscow: USSR Ministry of Defense. 1957.
- ↑ "The LPO-50 Flamethrower". Sword of the Motherland Foundation. Sword of the Motherland Foundation. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ↑ US Congress (Jul 28, 2011). Congressional Record. Washington: Government Printing Office. p. 1404.