American private company Throwflame, which develops and sells flamethrowers, has introduced a combination of a compact flamethrower with a robot dog available for order. The development is called Thermonator.
The company has released a promotional video showcasing a functional prototype, which is expected to be available for purchase in the third quarter of this year. It should be noted that this is not considered military-grade weaponry, as the circulation of flamethrowers is not regulated in any way in the United States.
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The robot-dog is equipped with an ARC Flamethrower, which has compact dimensions and a range of up to 10 meters. It also features marketing gimmicks such as remote control via Wi-Fi.
This is indeed a frightening development that serves as one of the responses to the challenges of trench warfare. Infantry flamethrowers were used by the Germans during World War I near Verdun in 1915, and their initial combat experience led to their rapid proliferation. Their peak usage came during World War II. However, the significant risks for the flamethrower operators who carried the incendiary mixture on their backs, as well as for those in close proximity, led to the development of flamethrower tanks.
Subsequently, during the Cold War era, including in the USSR, reactive infantry flamethrowers such as the "Shmel" were introduced as replacements. These were essentially grenade launchers with thermobaric grenades.
However, when combined with a ground drone that possesses significant autonomy and maneuverability in complex terrain, such a weapon becomes truly frightening. Yet, the question of when such a development would arise was only a matter of time. Because now many weapons developers are already combining robot-dogs with small arms.
Defense Express reported that the U.S. Army Gave Its Boston Dynamics-made Robot Dog to Help in Ukraine
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