Soviet RPO-A ''Shmel''

By Crusader1307

The Soviet RPO-A Shmel is a Rocket propelled, Infantry weapon, first deployed by Soviet (Russian) Forces during the later years of The Cold War (1980). Nicknamed The ‘’Bumblebee’’, the weapon was a form of thermobaric weapon. These types of weapons use oxidizers with the explosive device (warhead), that literally sets the surrounding blast zone (impact), air – on fire. This increases the heat generated by the conventional warhead, to produce vaporization of a target. Normally, such effects can be negated if a secondary target is 10 meters away. However, thermobaric detonations also produce intense concussive damage even past these distances (often crushing internal organs). Weighing just 25-pounds, The Shmel had a 1,000-yard effective range. The actual Round (Rocket) weighed 20-pounds and was in a caliber of 90mm. The weapon is still found in use by several Nations.