On the Creation of a Modern Domestic Infantry Rocket Flamethrower

Abstract

The article analyzes the design features of existing flamethrowers of former Soviet Union, Russian and foreign manufacture. It is determined that the infantry rocket flamethrower can perform only a single action. A flamethrower consists of a disposable container - launcher with an aiming device in which a thermobaric warhead and a jet engine are mounted, which are separated during the shot. The shot is carried out using a launching machine attached to the disposable container - launcher. The selection of an analogue product that meets the requirements for an advanced domestic flamethrower in terms of tactical and technical characteristics was made. Analysis of the design of existing systems showed that the closest to the conditions of the technical - development requirements in terms of technical and weight-and-dimensional characteristics is RPO-A "Shmel", thus it was chosen as a prototype during the development of a domestic infantry flamethrower. The main features of the damage effects are analyzed. The main adverse factors of thermobaric warheads are determined. They are: maximum pressure, shock-wave velocity, action time of excess pressure. In the process of designing a new rocket flamethrower in order to increase the adverse factors indicators, the following decisions were made: to use nitrate ester with a lower oxygen balance, incapable of detonation transformation - isoamyl nitrite; to use an explosive of bursting charge with a higher detonation rate - okfol. Experimental studies have confirmed that the developed infantry rocket flamethrower does not rank below the world analogues, and in terms of particular characteristics (damage effects) even exceeds those analogues.