Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs Ukraine “successfully destroyed” a Russian thermobaric artillery weapon in the south of the war-torn country, Kyiv has said.Kyiv’s SBU security service took out a TOS-1A, or Solntsepyok, system in the southern Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia region, the agency said in a statement on Saturday.The SBU shared night-vision footage appearing to show a first-person view (FPV) drone heading for a TOS-1A multiple launch rocket system. A separate drone appears to record the moment of impact and an explosion engulfing the TOS-1A.Newsweek could not independently verify the clip, and has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.
TOS-1A Solntsepyok multiple thermobaric rocket launchers on June 24, 2020, in Moscow. Kyiv’s SBU security service took out a TOS-1An system in the southern Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia region, the agency said in a statement on Saturday.
TOS-1A Solntsepyok multiple thermobaric rocket launchers on June 24, 2020, in Moscow. Kyiv’s SBU security service took out a TOS-1An system in the southern Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia region, the agency said in a statement on Saturday.
Ramil Sitdikov – Host Photo Agency via Getty Images
Thermobarics use two detonations to create more destructive explosions than conventional weapons. The weapons, also known as vacuum bombs, were used by Soviet forces in Afghanistan and Chechnya, as well as by the U.S. military in the 1960s.These thermobaric rockets create “incendiary and blast effects” lasting longer than conventional explosives, the British Defense Ministry said in March 2022.”The impact of the TOS-1A is devastating,” the ministry said. “It can destroy infrastructure, and cause significant damage to internal organs and flash burns, resulting in death to those exposed.”It is typically used against targets like buildings and trenches.The TOS-1A can fire several dozen thermobaric rockets and is mounted on different main battle tank chassis, depending on the version. It is an upgraded version of the TOS-1, with “an increased range as a result of longer rockets,” according to the U.S. military.Russia’s state defense exporter, Rosoboronexport, described the TOS-1A as a heavy flamethrower that can be ready to fire within 90 seconds, making it “an extremely lethal weapon with great combat capabilities.”Воїни СБУ спалили російський «Солнцепьок»Успішну роботу зі знищення тяжкої вогнеметної системи ТОС-1А «Солнцепьок», яка є «гордістю» російського ВПК і рідкісною ціллю на фронті, наші воїни провели на Запорізькому напрямку.Нищимо окупантів до повної Перемоги! pic.twitter.com/IAi8vTEUdT— СБ України (@ServiceSsu) August 3, 2024
Russia’s Defense Ministry has described the TOS-1A as a “formidable” weapon that “causes panic.”The system is “the ‘pride’ of the Russian military-industrial complex and a rare target at the front,” the SBU said in a statement.The thermobaric launchers are “highly destructive, but scarce artillery assets,” the U.S.-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), said in June 2023.They are a “high-priority item” for the Russian military, but Moscow only has a “small number” of operational systems, defense and military technology expert David Hambling previously told Newsweek.Ukraine’s SBU said the TOS-1A system was “equipped with full ammunition and ready to strike” when Kyiv’s forces located and targeted the system.Ukraine has previously said it has destroyed TOS-1As, including in the Zaporizhzhia region.
