The Russian military released a video of the TOS-1A thermobaric artillery hitting a target in Ugledar in the Donetsk region, where Ukrainian forces have been entrenched for months.
Today, the Russian Ministry of Defense released a video of a TOS-1A Solntsepyok thermobaric rocket artillery battery providing fire support for a naval unit of the Pacific Fleet in an attack on the city’s outskirts Ugledar in the Donetsk region.
The video shows the TOS-1A complex deployed in the battlefield and fired, creating large explosions in the target area. “The enemy hides in trenches and ruined houses. However, surviving under the fire of thermobaric cannons is almost impossible,” the Russian military said, adding that the TOS-1A systems had already been deployed. destroyed dozens of Ukrainian strongholds and arsenals in Ugledar in recent days.
The Russian battery commander said that they usually fire at a distance of only 5 km and that the TOS-1A systems are often the number one priority of the Ukrainian military. The thermobaric artillery crew must calculate the firing element, fire accurately, and withdraw from the position in the shortest time possible.
“Every calculation must be perfect. The enemy constantly tried to find us but failed,” added the battery commander.
Ugledar, located about 150 km south of Bakhmut, is considered a “reduced fortress” and an important link in the Ukrainian line in southwestern Donetsk, allowing control of the large surrounding area, preventing Russian units. flank the cities of Marinka, Kurakhovo, and Avdeevka.
The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) official said that taking control of Ugledar would help Russian forces break through Ukraine’s key defense in the Donetsk region, change the balance of power in the region and improve defenses. nearby city of Melitopol.
TOS-1 was developed during the Soviet era with the designation “flame cannon”, using rocket launchers carrying thermobaric warheads to destroy infantry, weapons, and fortified fortifications. The TOS-1A variant entered service in 2001, increased in range, and equipped with a ballistic computer and many other improvements.
TOS-1A specializes in shooting directly at the target within the gunner’s line of sight, instead of shooting rainbows from a distance of tens of kilometers like conventional rocket artillery. All 24 projectiles can be launched in 6-12 seconds, depending on the firing mode.
Each 220 mm round contains flammable fuel and two independent explosive charges. When falling on the target, the first explosive dose is activated to spread the burning fuel into a large cloud covering a large area.
The second explosion will ignite this cloud instantly, creating a massive explosion and sucking up the surrounding oxygen. The high temperature of 2,500-3,000 degrees Celsius and the sudden pressure change from the explosion can destroy many mechanized weapons and damage soldiers sheltering in armor and fortified fortifications.
Military experts believe that the TOS-1A is a suitable weapon for combat in the Donbas region, because many Ukrainian units are entrenched in fortifications and a dense network of trenches resistant to bullets. ordinary cannon. However, Russia does not own many TOS-1A complexes in service to create a turning point on the battlefield.