The rise of a great power: starting with military industry

Chapter 170 Flamethrowers and Bazookas

Combined battalion.

Li Fuguo had just returned from an outdoor exercise with the combined battalion and saw Liu Tao waiting for them here.

"Factory Director!" Li Fuguo saluted Liu Tao.

The other soldiers in the car saluted Liu Tao together.

Liu Tao returned the greeting.

"It's just right that you're back. I've prepared two good things for you!" Liu Tao said with a smile.

Li Fuguo asked someone to go back to the barracks, and then he jumped out of the car and asked curiously, "What good stuff?"

"Do you want us to have a full complement of tanks?" What Li Fuguo wanted most was tanks.

It is true that the tanks Liu Tao provided to the combined battalion are extremely good.

After driving this advanced tank, no one would want to drive the Type 59 tank.

They believe that this tank is the best tank in the world.

"What are you thinking about? The current tank production is limited. We can't give them all to you!" Liu Tao said unhappily.

Most of the tanks and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns produced, whether for domestic use or for export, were sent to Beijing.

There is a special tank regiment there that receives these tanks and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, and then trains tank soldiers specifically to adapt to these tanks and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns.

It is even necessary to allocate a few export versions of self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and tanks for training students in Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

The deposit has already been paid and the person has come to China, so we can’t not teach him.

Of course, in order to avoid some trouble, the training of Iraqi and Saudi students is carried out in another tank battalion, and the two are not in the same place.

Giving the combined battalion these self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and tanks is already quite good.

Liu Tao took out two weapons from the car.

"Is this a flamethrower?" Li Fuguo was a little surprised. "And is this a rocket launcher?"

"Yes, these are the two weapons!" Liu Tao nodded.

The individual flamethrower is a common weapon for chemical defense troops born in World War I. It is often used for attacking, clearing obstacles, disinfecting and preventing forest fires. As early as the War of Liberation, our army seized various types of Japanese and American individual flamethrowers for attacking. Later, in the Liaodong Peninsula, the Volunteer Army also widely used the captured American flamethrowers.

In 1955, our army's chemical defense force established the earliest flamethrower company.

Later, with the help of the Soviet Union, the Soviet LPO-50 flamethrower was copied and later finalized as the Type 58 flamethrower. The Type 58 flamethrower uses the principle of gunpowder propulsion. The gelatinous oil (napalm) in the fuel bottle is propelled by the gunpowder gas and ejected from the spray gun along the fuel pipe. The electric firing device controlled by the battery at the muzzle ignites the ignition tube at the muzzle, and then ignites the fuel. Like the LPO flamethrower, the Type 58 flamethrower has three fuel tanks and can spray three times. The Type 58 flamethrower has a total system mass of 23 kg, a single cylinder capacity of 3.4 liters, a recoil of about 60 kg, an effective range of 40 meters, and a maximum range of 90 meters.

Later, the Type 58 flamethrower was improved and eventually formed into the Type 74 flamethrower, which was mass-produced in 77. The Type 74 flamethrower changed the gunpowder propeller of the Type 58 flamethrower from four parts to one, which greatly simplified the operation. At the same time, the battery excitation device was changed to a permanent magnet micromotor, and the new Type 74 light charge was used and an automatic conversion switch was adopted, which successfully solved the problem of misfire. At the same time, the material design of the components was improved, the weight was reduced to 20 kilograms, and the new Type 66 condensed oil powder was used, and the effective range was increased to 45 meters, with a maximum range of 100 meters.

During last year's "Red Dragon's Roar" military operation, the entire army mobilized thousands of Type 58 and Type 74 flamethrowers to support the front line, playing an important role in attacking enemy fortifications and caves.

Liu Tao made improvements to the flamethrower. The new flamethrower is made of titanium alloy. The full weight is reduced to 12.6 kg and the empty weight is reduced to 8 kg. It is light in weight and has small recoil. It can spray up to 18 times, with a maximum range of 110 meters and an effective range of 55 meters.

The reduced weight will undoubtedly make it easier for soldiers to carry the weapon while fighting, while the increased range will increase the flamethrower's killing range.

This flamethrower is undoubtedly the most suitable weapon for mice hiding in cat holes.

The rocket launcher is also a familiar weapon for the Chinese.

毕竟仿制苏联RG7火箭筒而来的69式40火跟107火箭炮、AK47可是并称为全世界‘游击战三宝’。

China has never stopped researching rocket launchers.

比如以美国著名的M20型88.9毫米火箭筒为蓝本仿制出来的51式90毫米火箭筒，是华夏第一款制式火箭筒，在1951年5月正式定型投产，当年便生产了4800具。

For example, the Type 2 56mm rocket launcher is a copy of the Soviet RPG-40. The launch tube of this rocket launcher is 0.65 meters long and weighs 2.75 kilograms. The caliber of the projectile is 82 mm, the weight of the projectile is 1.8 kg, the effective range is 150 meters, the maximum range is 200 meters, 3-4 rounds can be fired per minute, and the armor penetration is 200 mm.

For example, the Type 7 69mm rocket launcher, which is a copy of the Soviet RPG-40 rocket launcher, is not a single-soldier rocket launcher, but a rocket launcher that requires two people to operate. Its launch tube weighs 5.6 kg, the bullet weighs 2.1 kg, the launch tube caliber is 40 mm, the launch tube length is 910 mm, the rocket bullet diameter is 85 mm, the range is 200-500 meters, it is equipped with white light and infrared sights, and the vertical armor-piercing capability is 300 mm. This is also the main rocket launcher currently in service in the military, equipped with a large number of troops and aiding third world countries.

As for the Type 70 62mm anti-tank rocket launcher, it is the first individual anti-tank rocket launcher independently developed by my country. The rocket launcher has a small caliber, light weight, simple structure, does not occupy the organization, and can be carried by each person in wartime. It is extremely effective in treating "fear of insufficient firepower". It has an effective range of 200 meters and a maximum range of 800 meters. The warhead can penetrate 100 mm armor and can also be used with air-blast anti-personnel bombs.

However, the Type 70 62mm anti-tank rocket launcher, which is half disposable and half reusable, is a bit awkward after all. It would be better to just make it a disposable rocket launcher that can be thrown away after firing.

"This is a disposable rocket launcher. The total weight of the sleeve and rocket is 7.5 kilograms. The length is 971 millimeters. It has optical aiming and an effective range of 300 meters. It can penetrate 300 millimeters of reinforced concrete." Liu Tao said, "Most importantly, it can launch fuel-air explosive bombs."

"80mm caliber, so light?" Li Fuguo was surprised.

The power of firearms and cannons is proportional to their caliber, and their weight is also proportional to their caliber.

69式40毫米火箭筒发射筒和弹加起来就有7.7千克，而眼前这款火箭弹口径80毫米，重量竟然比69式40毫米火箭筒还要轻，这简直是颠覆李富国的认知。

"Well, this sleeve is not made of metal, but glass fiber and resin. Its strength and hardness are comparable to steel. Its heat insulation performance is especially good, and you can't feel the heat from the rocket's tail flame at all." Liu Tao said with a faint smile.

Of course, this material also has problems. The only problem is that it is too transparent. The rocket's tail flame makes the entire sleeve turn red, like gushing lava, which looks a bit scary. At the same time, it will expose the position when used at night.

In order to improve this problem, Liu Tao developed an opaque paint and sprayed it on the rocket launcher, which increased the cost of the rocket launcher.

(End of this chapter)