M202a1 flash

[Dan2004]

I was wondering if any of US Armed Forces still maintain the M202A1 Flame Assault Shoulder Weapon (FLASH) in inventory, and if we've used them recently.

This pic is from 1991:

http://world.guns.ru/grenade/m202a2_fire.jpg


Thanks,

Dan

[KJV1611]

I can tell you that Airborne units do not still have these in there Arms rooms.

[Firefly26]

We had them in our armsroom as of 1998, but they were still in banded crates, and you just knew they would never be used. Who knows though, they have brought back other weapons from the past when they answer a new battlefield trend. Can't seem to think of the need for 4 tubes these days though. LAWs were pretty fun to shoot, more so then than AT4 imho due to less overpressure when firing. I also liked that front sight window.

[LineDoggie]

Some LAAWs are back in Use, M72A5 I believe. The El Sal's were usinf new in 2005, and so was some American users. Me I thought it was Better than an M136 for stopping a Bongo truck

[Alpheus]

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o32/Bun--Bun/untitled-3.jpg

So that's what this is........

[LineDoggie]

66mm incendiary rocket clip M74

Each round has 1.30 pounds thickened Triethylaluminum

http://www.inetres.com/gp/military/infantry/flame/M202.html

[paracrusader]

Certain airborne units maintained these as recently as late 2004. IIRC, it was the responsiblity of the battalion NBC NCO to maintain them, as flame weapons were the responsiblity of the chemical corps, but I may be wrong. Wish I'd had a camera handy, but my battalion in 2004 had them in the HHC company, and they were sent to Iraq, but were not used in combat. As far as ammunition, I've never seen or heard of it being stored in the last decade or so, or used in training. When they came up, we had a 1SG who was surprised to see them, and told us how they had used them years ago, and when fired, the firer was required to wear an asbestos suit, at least in training.

Cool concept, but would you want to be the guy carrying this thing around? Or jumping it, for that matter? Does anybody know if it was ever used in combat?

As far as the LAW, I recently read a story that the army has awarded a contract for several thousand M72A5s. Wish I had a link or more info, but that was maybe a year or two ago. LAWs are certainly seeing use in A-stan.

[D.E. Watters]

The M72-series is up to M72A10 now. There are a variety of different versions in use.