M202 FLASH

M202A1 FLASH - 66mm

The M202 FLASH (FLame Assault SHoulder) is a US-made 66mm infantry multiple rocket launcher that entered service in the late 1960s. Designed to replace obsolete and dangerous WW2-era infantry flamethrowers with a safer and longer-ranged delivery system for incendiary rounds (as indeed was its Soviet counterpart the RPO "Rys," ancestor of the RPO-A 'Shmel'), it fired M74 rockets whose M235 warhead was filled with 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. While sometimes said to be derived from the experimental XM191, the XM191 designation actually refers to the "weapons system" of M202 launcher and M74 rocket clip, a designation dropped by the time the weapon was standardized in early 70s. The launcher itself has always been known as M202.

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 trigger that fires one rocket at a time (not technically semi-auto, since a different firing pin is used for each rocket). 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% from firing all four rockets) 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 as only incendiary rockets were ever issued. XM96 CS gas rockets were trialed, but were never standardized and quickly withdrawn from use.

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-present))

• 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

• Fire Modes: Single-shot

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Commando	Arnold Schwarzenegger	John Matrix	Prop replica, missing front and rear covers, shown firing explosive rockets	1985
	Rae Dawn Chong	Cindy
The Expendables 3		Soldier		2014

Television

Show Title	Actor	Character	Note / Episode	Date
MacGyver (1985) - Season 1			"The Gauntlet" (S1E04) / Seen on table, same prop as Commando or identical replica	1985

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
Case Closed: The Fist of Blue Sapphire	Pirates		2019

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Resident Evil	"Rocket Launcher"		Fires explosive rockets	1996
Time Crisis II			Unusable	1997
Half-Life			Modified version, on a tripod	1998
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis	"Rocket Launcher"		Referenced from the Commando prop launcher	1999
The World Is Not Enough	"AT-420 Sentinel"	Laser guidance system		2000
Time Crisis II			Unusable	2001
007: Nightfire	"AT-420 Sentinel"	Remote-control missile camera system	Available in PC version only	2002
Resident Evil (2002)	"Rocket Launcher"		Referenced from the Commando prop launcher	2002
Time Crisis 3			Unusable	2003
Time Crisis: Crisis Zone	"Missile Launcher"		depicted incorrectly with a lock-on and homing function	2004
Söldner: Secret Wars	"M202A2 MRL"			2004
Far Cry Instincts: Predator	"Rocket Launcher"			2006
Team Fortress 2	"Black Box"	Single-barreled, wooden firing grip, secondary foregrip added	Holds 3 rockets at once	2007
Razing Storm	"Rocket Launcher"		incorrectly holds 10 rockets	2009
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker			Anachronistic	2010
Call of Duty: Black Ops	"Grim Reaper"		Anachronistic; 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
Payday 2	"Commando 101"		Incorrectly fires high-explosive rockets	2013
Krunker	"Froge"		Uses frogs as ammunition, incorrectly has ammunition protruding out the front, incorrectly holds 3 rounds	2019