Old and New: Flamethrowers Meet Unmanned Ground Equipment

 The PLA has always had a soft spot for flamethrowers, their close‑in “BBQ solution” of choice for clearing trenches, bunkers, and anything else that needs a decisive application of fire. The affection runs so deep that even the PAP has been known to break them out for policing duties, which tells you everything about the institutional mindset.

Of course, the old saying still applies: a flamethrower is just as dangerous to the operator as to the poor soul hiding in the next trench over. That’s the eternal tradeoff: great effect but with questionable survivability.

The answer is simple: remove the operator.

Enter the combination of the proven Type 74 flamethrower with a modern Unmanned Ground Equipment (UGE) platform.   In this case below, the ZRY222 UGE. It’s the logical next step in PLA pyrotechnic enthusiasm: if you’re going to go full fire‑and‑smoke, you might as well do it from a safe distance while the robot rolls forward belching flames like a mechanized dragon.

The result is a very PLA combination: old‑school brutality and effectiveness, delivered through new‑school robotics. A Cold War flamethrower strapped onto a remote‑controlled UGE, trundling along with all the subtlety of a welding torch on tracks

With this setup, the PLA isn’t just embracing unmanned systems,  it’s doubling down on its long‑standing love affair with fire. The operator gets to sit comfortably behind a console, the robot gets to do the dangerous part, and the target gets… well, roasted.   The smoke generator is icing on the cake.

Monday, March 25, 2019

PR photo the day: manhunt.....with flamethrower

In this drill, the People's Armed Police, Gansu Corps simulated a manhunt to catch 6 terrorists. Yup, if PR pictures below is a correct depiction, one of the tools available to the PAP in this hunt is flamethrower.  Really begs the question on how to get positive identification on those suspects afterward.

 

Tuesday, June 02, 2020

Flamethrower, an elegant weapon... for a more civilized age.

Unit: A Combined-Arms Brigade,  75th Group Army

The Chinese is fond of flamethrower and it is equipped to all military service branches.  For new China Army's TOE,  flamethrowers are organic to a Combined-Arms Brigade's Combat Support Battalion, Combat Engineering Company.


Source (here)

 

Saturday, May 30, 2020

PAP Unit Of The Day: Shanghai PAP Corps

Shanghai is one of the four municipalities of the PRC, as such, it "enjoys" the protection of a dedicated provincial-level PAP Corps.    Shanghai PAP Corps has organic mechanized infantry, light artillery, NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical), engineering, combat pioneer, and other specialist units.  It is Shanghai's equivalent to US National Guard.

Source (here)

 LG5 40mm "sniper" grenade launcher

Flamethrower

Civilian GongAn SWAT, not part of the PAP