Flame weapon

Flame Weapons gout forth huge quantities of fire or burning substances. Flame-based weapons are used by several races and armies. They are valued for their ability to destroy many enemies at once, regardless of any protective cover.

Imperial and Chaos flamers fire a mix of liquid chemicals which ignite on contact with the air. The flaming chemicals stick to the target, burning it up. The fact that the chemical sticks to its target and continues burning on its own accord, means that those who are not killed instantly die horribly as they are burned up. The most common substance used is known as Promethium, which is sticky and similar to modern day napalm. The flamer fires a burst of expanding flames, making the weapon effective at killing enemies in cover.

Eldar Fire Dragon Exarchs sometimes employ "Dragon Breath Flamers".

Orks use Burnas and the heavier vehicle mounted Scorcha.

Besides the basic flamer and heavy flamer, the Imperium makes use of more exotic types of flamethrower weapons, including

• Exterminators - compact, one-shot flamer weapons fitted to melee and ranged weapons, generally used by fanatics such as Redemptionists, Frateris Militia and Zealots.

• Inferno Cannons - a huge weapon which easily destroys entire units in a single shot. It is often mounted on the Hellhound and Immolator.

• Inferno Gun - a weapon designed to be mounted on the Warhound Scout Titan and is a bigger version of the Inferno Cannon.

• Incinerators - employed by the Inquisition, especially by the Grey Knights, and using blessed Promethium fuel to make them effective against daemons.

Sources

• Warhammer 40,000: Wargear