Imitating the TOS-2: the Zhara flamethrower system was developed in Ukraine

The long-suffering Ukrainian armored car "Dozor-B", attempts to establish the production of which were accompanied by numerous scandals, decided to use it in a new quality.

On its basis, a light self-propelled flamethrower system "Speca" ("Heat") was created in the Kharkiv Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering, the Defense Express publication reports.

The Shepetovsky Repair Plant, which manufactured the launcher, and the ammunition developer, the Kiev holding company Artem, also took part in the implementation of this project.

A package with ten guides is mounted on the cargo platform of the armored car, designed to launch 122-mm thermobaric RS-122TB shells, which, according to Ukrainian Military Pages, can hit targets at a distance of 7000 meters. The length of the projectile is 1450 mm, the engine is 795 mm. The weight of the warhead is 11.5 kg.

Their purpose is the combined defeat of manpower in open areas and in shelters of various types, as well as the disabling of unarmored and lightly armored vehicles, as well as infrastructure elements.

Designers praise their brainchild, emphasizing its high mobility. The launcher is hidden inside the hull, and it is difficult to distinguish it from a conventional armored vehicle on the march. However, as it turns out, only the warhead has been tested so far, and the engine for the projectile is only being created, and the completion of work is planned only for the end of the year.

It is claimed that the Ukrainian military showed interest in this sample of weapons. According to the text, it can be understood that everything is being done with an eye to the Russian heavy flamethrower systems, including the TOS-2 "Tosochka" on a wheeled chassis.

It is expected that this installation based on the "Dozor-B" will be demonstrated in Kiev during the celebration of Independence Day.

Alexey Brusilov