TOS-1A Solntsepek - Combat Operations
In the special military operation "Sunshine" has been used since the first days. Thermobaric shells burn out shelters, command and strongholds, ammunition caches and artillery positions. The TOS combat vehicle is paired with a transport-loading vehicle (TZM), which can supply Solntsepek with shells right in the field.
“Thermobaric ammunition destroys even very well-fortified underground bunkers. The mixture that is formed as a result of a projectile explosion flows into cracks, ventilation pipes, hatches, and after the explosion, all life is destroyed there. for all its merits, it is also practically invulnerable,” says military expert Yuri Knutov.
The work of calculations in most cases begins with the launch of a reconnaissance drone. Further, according to the transmitted coordinates, aiming at the target and a high-precision strike follow. The Russian Defense Ministry emphasizes that TOS is used in the most difficult areas, while in the zone of action of the "Solntsepeka" the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine increasingly prefer to voluntarily surrender, leaving their positions and ignoring the orders of commanders.
Despite the aggressive marketing of the Russian military-industrial industry and the numerous statements of the Russian media about the high efficiency of TOS-1 and TOS-1A Heavy Flamethrower Systems, the combat vehicles have significant disadvantages. The Russian military demonstrated the problems of a Heavy Flamethrower System in real hostilities. Russian propagandists posted a video using the TOS-1A Solntsepyok on which the combat work of TOS-1A and firing at the Ukrainian village of Dovhenke in the Kharkiv region is demonstrated. The second TOS-1 problem is the range of fire of this system. It is stated that the effective range of the TOS-1A is approximately 6,000 meters. This is not enough for the conditions of modern war, so the crew is forced to enter the zone of defeat of Ukrainian artillery.
Russia typically deployed these in areas with little to no Ukrainian artillery to counter battery the TOS. Russia uses these in tandem with drone jamming electronic equipment so they won't be spotted by drones. These are extremely effective at shoot and scoot tactics because it is a rocket system so it can set up in 2 minutes to fire rockets and then reposition before the Ukrainians have a chance to detect and destroy it.
Indispensable "Sun" and to cover offensive operations. In March 2023, TOS allowed the Russian military to occupy an entire settlement with one salvo. "We were under fire from the enemy, the command was given to leave, but we knew that our guys were going on the offensive. At our own peril and risk, I decided not to retreat from positions until we fired. As a result, the target was hit, and the division unit managed to take settlement due to the fact that at the most difficult moment of the battle we hit the enemy’s fortification with 12 shells, which began to randomly retreat, ” said the commander of the Solntsepeka with the call sign Skipper.
Most of the TOS systems destroyed were in the early stages of this war and the Russians quickly adapted their tactics. The 220mm thermobaric rockets have been proven to be absolutely deadly to entrenched enemy forces and enemy fortifications, especially during the initial stages of the Bakhmut battle when the Ukrainians were defending the outskirts of Bakhmut in trenches.
Russia transferred its iconic TOS-1A Solntsepek heavy flamethrower system to its elite airborne forces. According to Russian media reports, the flamethrower system will be used on the battlefield against Ukraine. On 02 April 2023, a video of the Flamethrower system went viral on Twitter that showed troops hitting Ukrainian positions using the system.
The Russian TOS-1A Flamethrower became Ukraine's target no. 1 after Moscow's troops used the deadly MLRS to destroy hundreds of Ukrainian units. Russia has installed a Cope Cage' atop the TOS-1A to protect it from potential attacks. These Cope Cage screens have now been installed over the Russian TOS-1A Flamethrower to reduce Ukrainian munitions’ penetration power. The deadly Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) has been key in recent Russian operations. The targets cannot escape the impact of the rockets fired by this system, even in trenches, making it one of the most feared Russian weapon systems on the battlefield.
“Russian forces’ apparent reliance on specific artillery assets is noteworthy, as Ukrainian precision strikes on these systems could potentially complicate Russian defensive capabilities, and Russian forces are unlikely to possess enough TOS-1A systems to provide the same level of fire support all along the front line,” the Institute for the Study of War assessed in an operational update on the war. The Omsk transport machine factory sent TOS-1A systems to the frontline 09 November, 2022. The batch was prepared by contract of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the work was carried out ahead of schedule. The number of the delivered combat vehicles is not specified. Published photos and videos show no more than two Solntsepyoks at the same time, but the number may be higher.
Russia claimed 16 June 2023 a single "Solntsepek" flamethrower system managed to repel the Ukrainian offensive in the Novodonetsk region in DPR. There is no independent verification of Russia’s claim that scores of Ukrainian soldiers and two armoured vehicles were destroyed by the flamethrower system.
The Ukrainian military destroyed the Russian heavy multiple launch rocket system TOS-1A Solntsepek in the direction of Zaporozhye 15 June 2023. It was reported that the TOS-1A was destroyed by an American M109A6 "Paladin" 155-mm self-propelled guns.
On 18 June 2023 the Armed Forces of Ukraine concentrated large reserves on the approaches to Pyatikhatki / Piatykhatky. It was mainly infantry, but heavy armored vehicles were also present. The capture of Pyatikhatok would allow the Ukraine Defense Forces to expand the bridgehead and begin the advance to Vasylivka.
A Russia-installed official says Ukrainian forces captured the village of Piatykhatky in the Zaporizhia region – a rare admission from the Russian side that it lost ground in Ukraine. “The Ukrainian forces have managed to take it under their control,” Vladimir Rogov wrote on his Telegram channel. Ukraine troops were able to take the territory despite suffering “colossal losses” during waves of attacks, with “hundreds” of Ukrainian soldiers killed, Rogov said. There was no confirmation from the Ukrainian military.
The Russian Defence Ministry stated that the attack of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Piatykhatky was repelled when multiple TOS-1A launchers flattened the town. "The attack on the settlement of Piatykhatky was repelled. More than a dozen tanks, armoured combat vehicles and the manpower of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed," said Oleg Chekhov, Head of the press centre of the Vostok group of Russian troops.
According to documented data, by 09 June 2023 the Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed six TOS-1A units. Several systems were captured.
In early August 2023, TASS reported on the destruction by the "Solntsepeka" crew with one salvo of an entire platoon of Ukrainian military. "The work was carried out at night, the target was hit. It was an accumulation of enemy manpower, that is, the minimum amount of resources spent. More than 20 enemy manpower and several pieces of equipment were hit," the gunner-operator of the vehicle with the call sign Vega told TASS. After completing the task, the vehicle was spotted by an enemy drone, but thanks to the actions of the crew and the support vehicle - an armored personnel carrier - the Solntsepek managed to be saved and escape from persecution.
