No. The U.S. military does not still use flamethrowers. The backpack flamethrower was effectively retired after Vietnam, and by 1978 the Pentagon had removed flame weapons from its battlefield arsenal entirely. The tactical jobs those weapons once did — clearing bunkers, tunnels, and other fortified positions — are now handled by thermobaric munitions and, for smoke and target marking, by white phosphorus.
When the Military Stopped Using Flamethrowers
The workhorse model was the M2-2, which entered service in 1943 and saw heavy use in the Pacific against fortified Japanese positions. More than 24,000 units were produced before the end of World War II. The weapon carried on through Korea and Vietnam in the same role: shooting a stream of thickened fuel into bunkers and tunnels to consume oxygen and force defenders out.
The design carried problems the mission couldn’t outrun. Effective range topped out at roughly 40 to 45 yards, forcing operators dangerously close to enemy fire. The fuel tanks on a soldier’s back made a bulky, obvious target, and the visible jet of flame announced the operator’s position the moment it fired. Logistics added another layer of trouble. Moving and storing large quantities of jellied gasoline in a combat zone created supply and safety burdens that rifle ammunition simply didn’t.
As warfare shifted toward longer engagement ranges and more precise munitions, the tradeoffs stopped making sense.
The M202 FLASH and the End of Flame Weapons
The military tried once more before walking away. The M202 FLASH, developed in the 1970s, was a four-tube launcher firing incendiary rockets. Each rocket carried about 1.3 pounds of a pyrophoric agent that ignited on contact with air and burned at roughly 2,900°F. It was meant to solve the range problem while keeping an incendiary capability in the squad.
Reliability and safety problems kept it from catching on. The M202 was pulled from active Army and Marine service by the mid-1980s, and the Marines replaced it with the SMAW multipurpose assault weapon. It was essentially the last dedicated flame weapon in the American inventory.
What the Military Uses Instead
Incendiary effects didn’t leave the arsenal. The delivery method did.
Thermobaric Weapons
Thermobaric weapons are the closest modern equivalent to what flamethrowers were used for. They disperse a fuel cloud and then ignite it, producing a large pressure wave along with extreme heat. Inside caves, tunnels, and reinforced buildings, the effect is devastating. U.S. forces used several such systems in Afghanistan against fighters in cave networks, including the BLU-118/B bomb, the SMAW-NE shoulder-fired rocket, and the AGM-114N thermobaric Hellfire missile. These handle the bunker-clearing mission at far greater range, without putting an operator within 40 yards of the target.
White Phosphorus
White phosphorus is the most commonly discussed modern incendiary. It ignites on contact with oxygen and burns at around 815°C (about 1,500°F), producing a dense white smoke. The military uses it mainly to screen troop movements, interfere with infrared tracking, and mark targets for artillery or air strikes.1NCBI Bookshelf. Toxicity of Military Smokes and Obscurants: Volume 2 It is delivered by mortar shells, artillery rounds, and grenades. Its dual role as an obscurant and a substance capable of inflicting severe burns has made it one of the more controversial items in the current inventory.
The Treaty Rules That Apply Today
International law governs how any military can use incendiary weapons. Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, adopted in 1980, sets those rules.2International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Incendiary Weapons (Protocol III) The protocol flatly prohibits using incendiary weapons against civilians. It bans air-delivered incendiaries against military targets located within civilian concentrations, and restricts ground-delivered incendiaries near civilians unless the target is clearly separated from the civilian population and all feasible precautions are taken.3United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs. Protocol III Full Text
The United States became a party to Protocol III in January 2009, but with a reservation. The U.S. reserved the right to use incendiary weapons against military objectives inside civilian concentrations when a commander judges that doing so would cause fewer casualties or less collateral damage than the alternatives.4United Nations Treaty Collection. CCW and Protocol That reservation softens the treaty’s strongest protections in U.S. practice.
Protocol III governs armed conflict. It does not touch civilian ownership or use of flamethrowers.
Civilians Can Still Own Them
The fact that the military stepped away from flamethrowers is often confused with a broader ban. There isn’t one on the civilian side. No federal law classifies flamethrowers as firearms, destructive devices, or any other regulated category. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives does not regulate them, and no federal license, tax stamp, or background check is required to buy one. From the federal government’s perspective, a flamethrower sits alongside a blowtorch or a chainsaw.
Two states are the exceptions worth naming. Maryland classifies flamethrowers as “destructive devices” under its criminal law and effectively bans civilian ownership.5Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Criminal Law Code Title 4 Subtitle 5 – Section 4-501 Definitions California allows ownership only with a permit issued by the State Fire Marshal, which requires a Department of Justice background check, a passport photo, a description and photograph of each device, and a fee.6Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 19 Section 1059 – Application for Permit or Renewal Elsewhere, local fire codes, arson statutes, and reckless endangerment laws still apply to how the device is used, even where owning it is unrestricted.