Belarusian Army has adopted Russian PDM-A Priz 90 mm rocket launcher.

The Belarusian Armed Forces have adopted the Russian-made PDM-A Priz 90 mm rocket launcher, according to Armiya (Army) magazine of the country`s Ministry of Defense.

PDM-A Priz 90mm rocket launcher. (Picture source Vitaly Kuzmin)

"The PDM-A Priz is replacing the RPO-A Shmel flamethrower. The Belarusian military has already tested the new weapon," said the magazine. The PDM-A Priz was trialed at a range of the 8th chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear protection brigade (8 BrRKhBZ) in Stariye Dorogi. The magazine did not specify the number of the rocket launchers that had been acquired by the Belarusian military.

The RPO PDM-A also called Shmel-M, is a Russian-made man-portable rocket launcher, alos classified as a flamethrowe, designed and manufactured in Russia by the Company KBP.

The RPO PDM-A is a single-shot, self-contained tube shaped launcher that operates much like some RPG-7 and LAW rocket launchers. A sealed tube, carried in a man-pack in pairs. This weapon can be operated by one soldier.

According to KDB, the blast produced by the RPO PDM-A is equal in power to a 152 mm artillery shell. However, the Shmel-M has evolved to the point that it is effectively a new weapon, and it is described on its own page.

According to the Armiya magazine, the PDM-A Priz is 920 mm long and weighs 8.8 kg. The weapon has a firing range of 30-1,700 m and an operational temperature range between -50° C and +50 °C.