New Ukrainian VPR-20 Flamethrower Unleashes 2,500°C Blast Against Russian Positions

Ukrainian troops are now using a new domestically produced VPR-20 infantry rocket flamethrower, a single-use launcher whose configuration resembles the Soviet-era “Shmel” system, according to Defense Express on November 14.

Defense Express reported that fighters of the 3rd Army Corps, operating on the northern Donbas and Kharkiv fronts, have received an updated version of the VPR-20, which Ukrainian analysts emphasize is a separate system rather than a rebranded RPV-16 or RPV-20PDM.

The VPR-20 is described as a domestically manufactured infantry rocket flamethrower, rather than a vehicle-mounted multiple rocket system, with the launcher built as a disposable tube that integrates the trigger unit in a layout similar to the Soviet RPO-A “Shmel.”

According to the outlet, the weapon’s effective aiming range is approximately 600 meters, with a maximum firing range of around 1,000 meters, parameters that broadly correspond to those of the older Soviet design.

Defense Express noted that the VPR-20 in its original configuration was first shown publicly at the IDEF 2021 defense exhibition in Turkey, where it featured a detachable trigger mechanism before the design was revised to the current integrated form

On August 7, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said it had codified and admitted to operation an unnamed domestically produced infantry rocket flamethrower, describing it as “a portable weapon designed to destroy enemy firing points, light armored and automotive enemy vehicles, and enemy manpower behind cover and in open terrain,” in a statement published on its official website. 

The ministry added that the weapon uses a rocket-propelled grenade with a thermobaric mixture whose blast effect is equivalent to a large-caliber artillery shell, creating a fireball of about 15 cubic meters with temperatures approaching 2,500°C and posing a lethal risk to enemy forces more than 50 meters from the point of detonation. 

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Defense Express reported that the arrival of the VPR-20 variant in combat units marks another step in replacing or supplementing legacy Soviet-origin systems with domestically designed ones, reinforcing the army’s stock of short-range, high-impact weapons intended for use in dense urban environments and against entrenched Russian positions. 

Earlier, it was reported that the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced the codification and operational approval of a new domestically‑produced infantry rocket flamethrower carrying a thermobaric warhead.

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