LPO-50 flamethrower, with bipod, sling, back pack, and hoses. Developed in 1953, the LPO-50 was the Soviet Union's standard issue infantry flamethrower through the lion's share of the Cold War, as well as their final model of conventional flamethrower. Much like in the West, the Soviets retired their flamethrowers in favor of incendiary rockets, which gave greater range. Outside of the direct Soviet circle of influence, it was also produced by China and seen in the inventories of both North Vietnam and the Irish Republican Army. In design, the LPO-50 takes some notes from the preceding ROKS-2 and ROKS-3 units, with the flame wand unit designed with a rifle-like pistol grip, buttstock, and bipod to let them blend in better with their host unit and reduce the chance of getting singled out as a high value target by enemy marksmen. Mechanically, the LPO-50 takes a very different track than its predecessors and Western counterparts. Instead of using inert gas to propel incendiary material, the three individual tanks of the backpack unit each contain one "shot" worth of fuel and a tiny pyrotechnic cartridge. The trigger unit on the wand has a setting for each tank, plus a safe setting, and when pulled electrically fires the pyro cartridge in the selected tank as well as one of three igniter units at the muzzle, the former generating the pressure to drive out the fuel and the latter lighting it up. A battery (absent on this example) concealed in the buttstock powers both sets of igniter units, with a three-prong plug concealed behind the pistol grip and the electric wires running along the fuel hose. Once a tank is lit, it goes until it's gone; you buy the ticket, and you take the ride for approximately 2-3 seconds. The unit here consists of the wand, the backpack tank unit with strips of mesh backing (shoulder straps absent), and a set of liquid and electric connection lines. The wand is dated "1958", with a serial number of "A5801", and fitted with a canvas sing.