TOS-1A: Russian thermobaric artillery is a horrible and nightmarish weapon

Summary: Throughout history, fire has been a devastating weapon, from the secret “Greek fire” of the Byzantine Empire to modern flamethrowers and incendiary weapons. The U.S. military has largely abandoned these weapons, but Russia has continued to develop and deploy them. The TOS-1A Solntsepek, a thermobaric rocket launcher mounted on a T-72 tank chassis, illustrates this trend. Designed to incinerate targets with a massive high-temperature explosion, the TOS-1A was used in Ukraine, where its destructive power was demonstrated.

-Despite their effectiveness, thermobaric weapons are controversial due to their indiscriminate nature and the risk of civilian casualties. The latest version, the TOS-2 Tosochka, is currently undergoing testing, strengthening Russia's incendiary capabilities.

The Resurgence of Guns: The Russian TOS-1A in Modern Warfare

During the Middle Ages, the Byzantine Empire developed its famous “Greek fire,” a weapon so devastating that its army kept it largely secret. Even today, how it was made or who “invented” it remains a mystery. Yet it is known that he harnessed the power of fire and literally burned a trail of destruction in his path, even though it was almost impossible to put out.

In addition to burning the enemy alive, Greek fire was also used for psychological warfare, as the sight and sound of the weapon alone was intimidating and discouraging to enemy soldiers. It was arguably one of the first “terrorist weapons” to be widely used.

Although fire as a weapon had largely declined over time, it was revived during World War I with the advent of the hand-held flamethrower. The ability to shoot an enemy has proven to be very effective, so much so that the US military has even developed specialized flamethrower tanks!

However, even before the end of the Cold War, many countries, including the United States, stopped using such horrific weapons. Yet Moscow had essentially moved in a different direction and has since redoubled its efforts to use fire on the modern battlefield. Rather than the backpack and nozzle systems used by infantry throughout both world wars, Russia developed its TOS-1A Solntsepek (“Burning Sun”), a multiple rocket launcher platform mounted on a T-72 tank chassis for launching thermobaric rockets. .

This way it's more about throwing weapons that start a fire than shooting flames!

TOS-1A: the weapon of the burning sun indeed

The TOS-1A was an updated version of the TOS-1 “Burantino”, a heavily armored rocket launcher capable of launching incendiary and thermobaric rockets – and intended to kill or rush any “soft target” in its path. It was essentially a 24-barrel 220mm multiple rocket launcher mounted on the chassis of a T-72/T-90 main battle tank.

The first combat tests of the system took place in 1988 and 1989 in the Panjshir Valley during the Soviet-Afghan War. Much like the Greek fire of the Byzantine Empire, the Solntsepek proved to be a terrorist weapon that caused panic. It has been used in the ongoing war in Ukraine, where Russian airborne troops have been equipped with the TOS-1A.

“You are receiving a formidable weapon, which has no equal in the arsenals of the collective West,” a Russian colonel said in a statement released by the Defense Ministry, Newsweek reported.

According to Russian state media outlet and defense exporter Rosoboronexport, the TOS-1A has a maximum range of 5.6 miles and can be combat ready in a minute and a half.

Improved model, the TOS-2

The latest TOS-2 “Tosochka” heavy flamethrowers are currently undergoing tests, the Russian army announced last Friday according to the Tass agency.

“The TOS-2 heavy flamethrower is one of the newest weapons along with the RCBD [Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense] “The head of the Russian chemical, biological and radiological protection forces, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, said in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper of the Russian Defense Ministry. “The pilot batch of weapons in question was delivered to the army this year and it is currently in the testing phase.”

Thermobaric – a truly barbaric weapon

When deployed, thermobaric munitions are a devastating weapon because they use oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high temperature explosion. Also known as aerosol or vacuum bombs, they can create a massive shockwave followed by a cloud of fire where the temperature can reach 2,500 to 3,000 degrees Celsius (4,500 to 5,450 Fahrenheit). In addition to almost certainly killing anyone within the blast radius, the heat released by the weapon can cause significant damage to structures and vehicles – igniting fuels and lubricants, as well as setting off munitions. Many targets are essentially vaporized.

Not everyone who survives the blast can be described as “lucky”, as they often suffer serious injuries to their lungs, eyes, ears and colon.

These weapons are neither illegal nor prohibited by the Geneva Convention, but their use against civilian targets would violate the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC). Thermobaric weapons are “likely to cause civilian casualties due to their indiscriminate and uncontained nature,” the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation warned.

The first reported deployment of thermobaric weapons in Ukraine took place at the start of Ukraine's ongoing war, when 70 Ukrainian fighters were killed in the northeastern town of Okhtyrka. Russian doctrine seemed to be that the best way to attack people in buildings during urban combat was to ensure that the people inside would never escape – or would be so badly injured that they would not would not be able to continue the fight.

The Russian army is not the only one to use such insidious weapons.

The United States had employed thermobaric weapons in Vietnam, but these tended to be dropped by air over enemy positions. During the war in Afghanistan, the US military used such weapons against cave complexes in the Allez region where al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters took refuge.

Ukraine's revenge

In late October 2023, a video circulated online showing a Ukrainian drone hitting a Russian TOS-1A. Shortly after the first-person view (FPV) drone hit the Russian vehicle, it triggered a secondary explosion that produced a massive fireball. The TOS-1A appears to have been destroyed by its own munitions, and its crew was set on fire – not in hellbut literally within the TOS-1A.

Author's experience and expertise

Peter Suciu is a writer based in Michigan. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites with more than 3,200 published articles during a twenty-year career in journalism. He writes regularly on military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing editor for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.

All images are Creative Commons.