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M202 FLASH
The M202 FLASH (FLame Assault SHoulder) is a US-made 66mm infantry multiple rocket launcher designed during the 1970s and adopted in 1978. Designed to replace obsolete and dangerous WW2-era infantry flamethrowers with a safer and longer-ranged delivery system for incendiary rounds, the weapon was built on research done with the experimental XM191 napalm launcher during the late 1960s (as indeed was its Soviet counterpart the RPO "Rys," ancestor of the RPO-A 'Shmel'). Rather than napalm, the M74 rockets used by the M202 use an M235 warhead with 1.34 pounds of thickened pyrophoric agent (TPA), which consists of triethylaluminum (TEA) thickened with polyisobutylene. This substance burns at around 2,200 degrees F (1,200 degrees C), far hotter than conventional flamethrower fuels, and is quite capable of burning underwater.
The suitcase-like weapon body is loaded with a large four-round clip inserted into the rear which holds four complete rockets and their fiberglass exhaust tubes; this clip can be slid into the body for easier carrying. The M202 features an integral folding reflex sight with range markings, and a folding pistol grip with a two-mode trigger that can fire either one rocket at a time (not technically semi-auto, since a different firing pin is used for each rocket) or all four at once. The handle on the front cover of the weapon can be used as a foregrip, while the rear cover is used as a shoulder rest.
The maximum range of the launcher is 820 yards (750m). Effective range (hit probability >50%) is about 547 yards (500m) against a squad-sized target, 219 yards (200m) against a point target, 137 yards (125m) to hit an average-sized window, and 55 yards (50m) against a precision target such as a bunker vision slit. The M235 warhead is armed by inertial forces at 5 to 14 yards (5-13m) from the launcher, but the bursting radius of the rocket is approximately 22 yards (20m), meaning it cannot be safety fired at its minimum range: in addition, since the filler is pyrophoric, if the rocket strikes a hard object and splits open it will ignite even if the warhead has not armed. The launcher also has a 50-foot backblast "danger zone," with another 82 feet in the "caution zone" where debris may be hurled by the backblast.
In media it is normally shown firing ordinary explosive rockets, which is incorrect: while the M202 was designed to share a caliber with the M72 LAW to allow the possibility of firing HEAT rounds (and the XM191 could actually do this, with the round referred to as XM78), no HEAT clips were ever manufactured for the M202. A crowd control CS gas round, the XM96, was also trialed with the XM191, but never entered service.
The M202A1 is visually identical, with the only modification being internal alterations to prevent firing pin hangs. It is unclear what changes the most current version, the M202A2, incorporates. The M202 was never particularly popular with troops due to its weight and bulk, and there were reports of an extremely dangerous tendency for rockets to spontaneously ignite while the weapon was being loaded. While the M202 was regarded as obsolete in the late 1980s and was slowly being phased of stockpiles, in particular due to the tendency of the M235 warheads to leak highly volatile liquid when placed in storage, there is some documentation indicating that M202 launchers were still in service with US forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The M202 FLASH and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Specifications
(Late 1960s (XM191), 1978-present (?) (M202))
- Type: Incendiary multiple rocket launcher
- Caliber: 66mm
- Weight: 11.5 lb (5.22 kg) empty, 26.6 lb (12.07 kg) loaded
- Length: 27 in (686 mm) closed, 34.75 in (883 mm) extended
- Capacity: 4 round clip
- Fire Modes: Single-shot / 4-shot
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commando | Arnold Schwarzenegger | John Matrix | Prop replica, missing front and rear covers, shown firing explosive rockets | 1985 |
| Commando | Rae Dawn Chong | Cindy | Prop replica, missing rear cover, shown firing explosive rockets | 1985 |
| The Expendables 3 | Soldier | 2014 |
Anime
| Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mad Bull 34 | Chinese assassin | Referenced from the prop from Commando | 1990 |
| Hellsing | Luke Valentine | 2001-2002 | |
| Rideback | BMA Ridebacks | 2009 |
Video Games
"Incorrectly shown firing high explosive rockets" is pretty much a given.
| Title | Note | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Resident Evil | as "Rocket launcher" | 1996 |
| Half-Life | Modified version, on a tripod | 1998 |
| Resident Evil 3: Nemesis | as "Rocket Launcher," referenced from the prop launcher from Commando | 1999 |
| The World Is Not Enough | as the "AT-420 Sentinel", capable of full auto unguided or semi-auto laser-guided fire. | 2000 |
| 007: Nightfire | as the "AT-420 Sentinel" in the PC version of the game, capable of firing unguided rockets or remote controlled with the help of a camera to help guidance | 2002 |
| Resident Evil (2002) | as "Rocket Launcher," referenced from the prop launcher from Commando | 2002 |
| Far Cry | Not a real M202 Flash, but a highly similar weapon. | 2004 |
| Söldner: Secret Wars | As "M202A2 MRL" | 2004 |
| Far Cry Instincts: Predator | as "Rocket Launcher" | 2006 |
| Team Fortress 2 | as "The Black Box", capable of healing +15 HP at expense of 1 less rocket (3 out of the usual 4) | 2007 |
| Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker | M202A1 | 2010 |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops | as the "Grim Reaper," incorrectly shown with a variable salvo fire function | 2010 |
| War Inc. Battlezone | Scope has salvo fire indicator copied from Call of Duty: Black Ops | 2011 |