The RPO-A Shmel ( Russian : реактивный пехотный огнемёт РПО-А «Шмель» , lit. 'rocket-propelled infantry flamethrower " Bumblebee "') is a man-portable, single-use, rocket-assisted thermobaric weapon . 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 . 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 .
28-480: [REDACTED] Look up шмель in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Shmel may refer to: RPO-A Shmel (Bumblebee) , rocket flamethrower 3M6 Shmel , guided anti-tank missile Beriev A-50 Shmel airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft, or its Russian radar Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
56-505: A diopter sight is 600 meters, with an OPO optical sight – 450 m, OPO-1 – up to 850 m. Each weapon contains a single rocket, of which there are three varieties. The basic rocket is the RPO-A , which has a thermobaric warhead and is designed for attacking soft targets under moderate cover. The RPO-Z is a incendiary warhead (from зажигательный , zazhigatel'nyy , 'incendiary') designed to spread fire and ignite targets. The RPO-D
84-477: A 155 mm artillery shell. The "Shmel-M" is also known as RPO PDM-A (from Повышенной Дальности и Мощности , Povyshennoy Dal'nosti i Moshchnosti , 'enhanced range and power') and is produced for the local and export markets. A version with a mechanical sight was adopted on 24 December 2003. The MRO-A is a smaller development of the RPO-series with caliber reduced to 72.5 mm, similar to
112-585: A complementing front sight element to obtain a usable sighting line. Diopter sights used for modern target shooting allow for very fine windage and elevation adjustments, moving the impact point on the order of less than five millimeters at a range of 100 metres. High end diopters typically accept accessories to aid the shooter's ability to see the target clearly. Diopters are found in particular as rear sight elements on rifles . Diopter and globe sighting setups are commonly used in ISSF rifle shooting events . The diopter
140-418: A diopter sight, but nonetheless is still often (incorrectly) referred to as such. With larger aperture sights the shooter must make a conscious effort to center the eye in the rear sight for precise aiming. A true diopter sight (aperture below 1.2 mm) however has the advantage that the shooter does not have to concentrate on eye and rear sight alignment for precision aiming, and therefore the sighting process
168-438: A disposable launching tube attached to a reusable fire control unit that includes the pistol grip, electronic trigger and safety, and a folding base with an optical sight and additional rail for an infrared/ night vision sight . Effective range is 300 m, maximum sighting range is 800 m, and maximum range is 1,700 m. The thermobaric warhead's blast effect is equivalent to 5.5 kg (12 lb) of TNT , comparable to
196-425: A further identical shorter sighting line. The "diopter sight effect" is achieved when looking through an aperture opening of approximately 1.2 mm (0.047 in) or less, and happens due to an optical phenomenon (edge effects) resulting in the light passing through being parallelized similar to how a collimated lens would. Because of this optical effect the front sight will also appear more steady, even though
224-482: A specialized Israeli force taking cover in a house in Jabalia, Northern Gaza. Diopter sight A diopter sight is an aperture sight component used to assist the aiming of ranged weapons, mainly firearms, airguns, and crossbows. Diopters function to precisely align the shooter's eye with the front sight and the target, while also producing beneficial optical effects for accurate aiming. A diopter must be paired with
252-469: Is a smoke warhead (from дымовой , dymovoy , 'related to smoke'). An updated development is the improved RPO-M "Shmel-M" that was shown for the first time at Eurosatory 2006. This version is similar to the original weapon, but has a calibre of 90 mm, a weight of 8.8 kg (19 lb), and an overall length of 940 mm. The system has better ergonomics, an improved rocket, and better ballistics and terminal effects. It consists of
280-524: Is a single-shot, self-contained tube shaped launcher that operates much like the RPG-18 anti-tank launcher, a sealed tube, carried in a man-pack in pairs. The same person can remove the tube, place it in firing position, and launch the weapon without assistance. After launch, the tube is discarded. All models are externally similar. Designed to defeat concealed enemy firing positions, disable lightly armored vehicles and destroy enemy manpower. The aiming range with
308-408: Is in principle a vertically and horizontally (elevation and windage) adjustable occluder with a small hole (aperture), and is placed close in front of the shooter's aiming eye. Through this small hole the shooter can view the front sight component(s) and the intended target. The typical occluder used in target shooting diopters is a disc of about 25 mm (0.98 in) in diameter with a small hole in
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#1732868723591336-586: Is reduced to only aligning the front sight to the target. Aperture sights (both diopter and non-diopter) require being placed close to the aiming eye, while open sights have to be placed at least 30 cm away from the eye to in order to appear sharp. Typical modern target shooting diopters offer windage and elevation correction in increments of 2 to 4 mm (0.079 to 0.157 in) at 100 m (109.36 yd) (which equals 0.02 to 0.04 mrad or ≈ 0.069 to 0.172 MOA ). Some ISSF (Olympic) shooting events require this precision level for sight adjustment since
364-544: The RShG-2 . It is self-contained, disposable, single-shot recoilless launcher with an overall length of 900 mm, weight of 4.7 kg (10 lb), and has a folding forward grip. The sights are RPO-based, with a fixed front and folding ladder-type diopter rear, giving an effective range of 90 m and maximum range of 450 m. The MRO-series includes different versions, again based on RPO versions: MRO-A thermobaric; MRO-D white phosphorus smoke; and MRO-Z incendiary. It
392-520: The Russian Federation in its 2022 invasion of Ukraine . On October 2, 2023, an attack by presumed PKK members was foiled in the Turkish capital city of Ankara . One attacker was armed with an M4 Carbine and an RPO launcher. On December 2, 2023, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades , the military wing of Hamas, announced their first deployment of the weapon during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war to target
420-656: The Russian invasion forces and Chechen resistance forces in the First and Second Chechen Wars. In September 1997, a large number of RPO were included in an arms airdrop to pro- Nguesso forces during the Second Republic of Congo Civil War . On September 3, 2004, Russian forces used RPO-A Shmel as part of the effort to end the Beslan school siege . On 9 August 2014, during the war in Donbas ,
448-656: The Ukrainian border checkpoint of Milove was attacked using RPO thermobaric weapons. The main building was hit by five incendiary rockets. It was used by Indian Army in September 2016 for surgical strike against insurgents in Pakistan-administered Kashmir successfully. It was also used on 8 February 2017 in Ukraine, killing Donetsk People's Republic commander Mikhail "Givi" Tolstykh . The munition has seen wide use by
476-520: The baseline day sight; night and thermal systems are also available. Maximum range is 950 meters, with a firing mechanism service life of at least 500 rounds. It can be fired in confined spaces with a volume of at least 30 cubic meters. As of October 2014, it has been accepted into service and serial production has been started. RPO weapons have seen use by the Soviet Army in Afghanistan and by both
504-410: The diopter. For maximum precision, there should still be a significant area of white visible around the bullseye and between the front and rear sight ring (if a front ring is being used). Since the best key to determining center is the amount of light passing through the apertures, a narrow, dim ring of light can actually be more difficult to work with than a larger, brighter ring. The precise sizes of
532-413: The diopter. In comparison, the parallax error on aperture sights with larger openings can increase quickly if the eye is not well centered in the rear sight. A parallax error of just 1 mm (0.039 in) at 1 m (1.1 yd) corresponds to an impact change of 10 cm (3.9 in) at 100 m (109.4 yd). A rear sight with a larger aperture than 1.2 mm (0.047 in) is not strictly
560-406: The front and rear sight, the sighting system is effectively parallax adjusted to a distance of 1 m (1.1 yd) in front of the rear sight. However, since the diopter hole is small, the aiming eye will be relatively well centered, and the parallax error will be relatively small in practice. There will be almost no parallax error if the eye and front globe sight are near perfectly centered through
588-446: The middle. The small diopter viewing opening ensures the shooter's eye is very precisely and consistently centered behind the diopter sight. The diopter sight is easy to use and usually allows for very accurate aiming, because a relative long sighting line can be used. A long sighting line helps to reduce eventual angle errors and will, in case the sight has an incremental adjustment mechanism, adjust in smaller increments when compared to
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#1732868723591616-402: The natural ability of the eye and brain to easily align concentric circles (circles all having a common centre). For optimal aiming and comfort the shooter should focus the aiming eye on the front sighting element. To avoid eye fatigue and improve balance the non-aiming eye should be kept open. The non-aiming eye can be blocked from seeing distractions by mounting a semi-transparent occluder to
644-580: The score of the top competitors (last) shots series is expressed in tenths of scoring ring points. High-end target shooting diopters normally accept accessories like: The complementing front sight element may be a simple (hooded) bead or post for service arms, but is for target shooting more often a globe type sight , which consists of a hollow cylinder with a threaded cap, which allows interchangeable differently shaped front sight elements to be used. Most common are posts of varying widths and heights or rings or holes of varying diameter — these can be chosen by
672-652: The shooter for the best fit to the target being used. Tinted transparent plastic insert elements may also be used, with a hole in the middle; these work the same way as an opaque ring, but provide a less obstructed view of the target. High end target front sight tunnels normally also accept accessories like adjustable aperture and optical systems to ensure optimal sighting conditions for match shooters. Some high end target sight line manufacturers also offer front sights with integrated aperture mechanisms. The use of round rear and front sighting elements for aiming at round targets, like used in ISSF match shooting, takes advantage of
700-441: The shooter moves the head in a way such that the sighting eye moves sideways relative to the rear sight. Also, the depth of field is increased so that both the sights and shooting target will appear sharp at the same time which further simplifies the aiming process. The parallax distance of a diopter sight is effectively adjusted to be the same as the sight distance. For example, with a distance of 1 m (1.1 yd) between
728-461: The title Shmel . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shmel&oldid=935558682 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages RPO-A Shmel (Bumblebee) The RPO-A
756-465: The world," the weapon has an overall length of 742 mm and weighs 5 kg (11 lb). Loaded tubes weigh 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) and can fire thermobaric (blast yield similar to 6 kg (13 lb) of TNT, or a 122 mm artillery rocket) or fragmentation warheads. The fire control unit is the same one used on the RPO-M, weighing 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) and enabling ranges of 25–650 m with
784-485: Was adopted by the Russian army around 2002 and issued to chemical troops to supplement the larger RPO-A. MGK Bur ( Russian : малогабаритный гранатомётный Комплекс «Бур» , romanized : Malogabaritnyy Granatomotnyy Kompleks "Bur" — Compact Grenade-launching System "Auger" ) is a 62 mm version of the RPO-M consisting of two major components: the disposable launch tube and reusable fire control unit. Described as "the most compact grenade launcher in
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