Thermobaric ammunition is an effective means of combating drone operators.
Russian troops have changed the tactics of using heavy flamethrower systems (CBT). Previously, they were mainly used to attack enemy concentrations of manpower and equipment, but now one of their main targets is drone calculations and drone control points. Sources familiar with the situation told Izvestia that priorities had been revised to reflect the increased role of UAVs on the battlefield. Experts note that thermobaric CBT ammunition is particularly effective for defeating well-camouflaged and protected positions of drone operators.
How heavy flamethrower systems found a new use
Heavy flamethrower systems have found a new use. Now their main purpose is to destroy the positions of the drone calculations, sources familiar with the situation told Izvestia. If earlier their main targets were accumulations of enemy manpower and equipment, now the priority is to hide where the drone operators are hiding. CBT crews receive target designation from reconnaissance drones, the interlocutors specified.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Konstantin Mikhalchevsky
Image source: iz.ru
Enemy UAV operators set up their positions deep underground, and set up well-fortified shelters resembling bunkers. It is very difficult to destroy them with conventional artillery, because a direct hit is required, and it does not guarantee the destruction of targets.
TOSs use thermobaric ammunition. When they hit, they spray an aerosol mixture that penetrates into all the cracks, ventilation pipes, hatches, and then detonation occurs. It is impossible to hide from such a projectile, and a volley of flamethrower systems burns out everything in a certain area.
Several generations of heavy flamethrower systems are serving in the military. The TOS-1A Solntsepek is based on the chassis of the T-72 tank and has a firing range of up to 6 km. Since 2022, the following modification has been used during a special military operation — the Tosochka CBT-2. It is mounted on the chassis of the Ural truck, which makes the system much more mobile and maneuverable. Firing range increased to 18 km. Aiming and fire control are fully automated. A crane manipulator is mounted on the Tosochka, so it does not need the help of a transport and charging machine.
TOS-1A "Solntsepek"
Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Korotaev
Two years ago, the troops received the latest heavy flamethrower systems TOS-3 "Dragon". Their characteristics were not disclosed, but the published video footage shows that they are made on a tank chassis and have 15 guides for launching missiles.
"This is a logical consequence of the form that the fighting has now taken," military expert Yuri Lyamin told Izvestia. — There are no concentrations of manpower and equipment on the line of contact due to the abundance of drones. The battle formations are quite sparse. And the most valuable target near the front line is drone operators, who need to be hunted. They are in hiding places, and to get them there, you need powerful weapons of destruction. And the defeat of shelters is what TOSAS were created for at the time.
When attacking small-sized and well-camouflaged and hidden targets, the issue of accuracy of destruction comes to the fore, chemical weapons expert Oleg Zheltonozhko told Izvestia.
"Even if the exact coordinates of the bunker are known, hitting it with artillery is a difficult task," he explained. — You need to use a large amount of ammunition and have accurate targeting. A high-volume explosive munition fired by a CBT has a larger impact zone than a conventional artillery munition. When detonated, a cloud forms, which detonates, and everything within the boundaries of this zone is hit by a shock wave. A house, a trench, another shelter — everything is under such pressure.
TOS-2 "Tosochka"
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Stanislav Krasilnikov
Calculations controlling drones pose a particular danger to the front line, and therefore the fight against them comes to the fore, Oleg Zheltonozhko added.
— It is important not so much to hit the operator himself as to hit the entire infrastructure that is around him: control panels, communications equipment, etc. And thermobaric ammunition does not even have to hit the target exactly. The explosion can be carried out somewhere nearby," he concluded.
However, such a machine itself must be well protected, military expert Yuri Knutov told Izvestia.
— It needs to be equipped with a mobile firing group that will detect and destroy drones. A brazier and an electronic warfare system should be installed on the machine itself. And if the factor of surprise and speed is provided at the same time, the probability of success will be very high.
How are heavy flamethrower systems used in a special operation area?
Recently, calculations of heavy flamethrower systems have begun to use new tactics . Now combat vehicles of different modifications work together: the TOS-1A Solntsepek creates a frontal shaft of fire, and the wheeled and more mobile TOS-2 Tosochka precisely destroys targets located in the enemy's immediate rear. The Tosochka is more maneuverable, and this allows you to quickly change positions, deliver unexpected fire strikes, and successfully avoid return fire. It is also important that the system actively uses new, more accurate rockets that can destroy targets at a distance of up to 15 km.
TOS-1A "Solntsepek"
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Stanislav Krasilnikov
In May, soldiers of the radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Unit (RCBZ) The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation were told about the specifics of working with the Solntsepek CBT in the Sumy area. "The CBT is equipped with thermobaric projectiles that hit and burn out the area where our projectile arrives. A chemical reaction occurs, a partial vacuum is formed, which gets into all the cracks of the dugouts and burns out our enemy," said the commander of the vehicle with the call sign Atom.
Izvestia told how the crew of the TOS-1A Solntsepek of the Vostok group of forces, which hit an enemy stronghold, a cluster of personnel and equipment, performs firing tasks. After firing 220 mm thermobaric rockets at the specified coordinates, the soldiers moved the vehicle to a marching position and left the position. The fire was adjusted by drone calculations, which transmitted the results of the defeat to the command post in real time.
Timofey Volkov
