According to an article published on the Forbes website on January 3rd, given the unstable situation on the Russia Ukraine border, in order to eliminate deterrence from Ukraine, the Russian military has deployed the TOS-1 series of thermobaric rocket launchers in the border area, in addition to using missiles. This type of weapon can launch rocket thermobaric shells and has extremely strong destructive power against enemy defense works. But American media also pointed out that TOS-1 is very fragile, and Ukraine's imported FGM-148 "Javelin" anti tank missile from the United States will pose a threat to it. But is this really the case?

The TOS-1 heavy firepower system of Russia is one of the outstanding weapon systems, which was once known as the "; Heavy Spitfire Tank ";, It absorbs the essence of multi barrel rocket gun, thermobaric ammunition, tank's cross-country performance, rocket launcher and reliable armor protection. This is a rocket system used by chemical defense soldiers, which is actually a flamethrower tank. The official name of the Russian military is the "TOS-1 220mm Heavy Flamethrower". The main reason for naming it a flamethrower is that it is a weapon under the jurisdiction of chemical defense soldiers.

The Soviet people, who were obsessed with heavy firepower systems, had a long-standing love for the Spitfire tank. Before the birth of the TOS-1 series, dozens of Spitfire tanks were already installed and put into actual combat, such as the famous OT-34-8 and KB-5 during the Soviet German War. And in the late 1960s to 1980sAt the beginning of the era, the Spitfire tank fell into a low period, due to the development of anti armor weapon technology, which resulted in the limited killing distance of the Spitfire tank. In actual combat, its effectiveness was minimal and its survival rate was worrying.

But with the outbreak of the Afghan War, Afghan guerrillas took advantage of the complex terrain of the plateau mountains and often launched elusive attacks on the Soviet army, catching them off guard and causing frequent setbacks. In view of this, the Soviet military proposed to use Spitfire tanks to improve the situation through the tactic of "fire attack". Therefore, the TOS-1 series Spitfire tanks emerged. The TOS-1 series heavy-duty flamethrower system is based on the T-72 tank chassis and the "Hurricane" 220mm rocket launcher launch system, mainly used to launch rocket thermobaric shells (incendiary air shells), and has become a powerful surface killing weapon in the Russian military equipment sequence. The TOS-1 series has two models, namely the TOS-1 nicknamed "Pinocchio" and the TOS-1A nicknamed "Hot Earth". Taking the latest equipped TOS-1A Spitfire tank of the Russian military as an example, this tank still mainly uses the T-72 tank chassis, but its weight has skyrocketed to 44.3 tons (41 tons for the TOS-1), with a length of 9.5 meters, a width of 3.6 meters, a height of 2.22 meters, a maximum road speed of 60 kilometers per hour, a maximum travel distance of 550 kilometers, and a crew of 3 people. The launch device has been changed from 30 launch tubes to 24, arranged in three layers with 8 tubes per layer, with a diameter of 0.22 meters and a length of 3.725 meters.

Compared to TOS-1, the key improvements of TOS-1A include fire control system, new ammunition, ammunition transport vehicles, etc. In the fire control system, the use of modern digital computers instead of the original analog ballistic computers has doubled the strike accuracy compared to the former. The ammunition transport vehicle is based on the chassis of the Kamas-255M heavy-duty truck and has been converted into the TZM-T ammunition transport vehicle, which is mainly developed with the T-72A tank chassis, to improve off-road performance and adapt to various complex terrains. TOS-1A also enhances the protection of the crew members, making them reach the level of protection of main battle tanks. This type of ammunition transport vehicle can carry 24 rockets at a time, while one TOS-1A Spitfire tank is equipped with two TZM-T ammunition transport vehicles, which can launch 72 rockets at once. The ammunition replacement work is completed by a 10kN crane and the time is controlled within 24 minutes.TOS-1A is equipped with two types of unguided rockets, namely the MO.1.01.04 rocket with a length of 3.33 meters and a weight of 137 kilograms, and the improved MO.1.01.04M rocket with a length of 3.72 meters and a weight of 217 kilograms. The minimum range is controlled within the range of 400 meters to 600 meters, and the maximum range is up to 6000 meters. The reason for the minimum range limit is that the range is too close, which may harm oneself.

TOS-1A can deliver a salvo of ammunition at its maximum range, with a killing and destruction area (whether in cover or exposed to the ground) of up to 400000 square meters. When striking enemies who have transitioned from combat to evacuation, the killing and destruction area increases to 700000 square meters. The TOS-1A convoy can complete a salvo of all ammunition within 9 seconds after quickly occupying favorable terrain in encounter situations. After completing the strike mission, it can quickly retreat from the shooting position under the condition that the enemy has counterattack firepower, with a total time of no more than 50 seconds.

Two unguided rockets are composed of a warhead, a fuse, and a solid fuel rocket engine. The warhead is equipped with a compartment for storing temperature and pressure substances or special combustion mixtures. Simply put, the missile is launched in the form of a rocket and reaches the target's airspace through the combustion of rocket propellant. Then, it effectively damages the target through the killing method of a thermobaric missile. The so-called thermobaric bomb refers to ammunition that relies on the high heat and immense pressure generated by the explosion of vaporized fuel in the air to achieve large-scale killing and destructive effects. Due to its low cost and enormous destructive power, it is also known as a "sub nuclear weapon". This is why the US media referred to the TOS-1 series flamethrower tank as "not a nuclear bomb, better than a nuclear bomb" in their reports. In addition to being filled with a mixture of high-energy fuel such as triethylaluminum, the thermobaric bomb is also filled with various metal powders such as aluminum, magnesium, titanium, etc., which enable the thermobaric bomb to quickly burn and release a large amount of heat in the high heat state of explosion, thereby enhancing the thermal and pressure effects of the thermobaric bomb during explosion. Once the thermobaric bomb is dropped over the target, it can quickly mix with the air to form an aerosol cloud, which is then detonated by a fuse to create a secondary explosion in the air. When a thermobaric bomb explodes, it can not only release a large amount of heat in an instant, but also generate a high-temperature and high-pressure hot fireball with a temperature of 2500 degrees Celsius and an expansion of 2000 meters per second, achieving extremely terrifying destructive effects.

As for the American made Javelin anti tank missile, Ukraine currently has 50 sets of launchers and a total of 300 American made FGM-148 "Javelin" anti tank missiles. There is no need to elaborate on the performance parameters of the missile. In the eyes of the governments and military of the United States and Ukraine, this missile series is an effective weapon against Russian ground armored forces, and also poses a threat to the TOS-1A Spitfire Tank.However, this is not the case. When using the missile during the preparation phase of the strike, the thermal imaging device controlling the aiming unit needs to be powered on and cooled for 30 seconds before entering combat mode. However, in actual use by the US military, it has been found that the data provided by the manufacturer is seriously unreliable. For example, in the Iraq battlefield, the cooling time of the thermal imaging instrument when powered on was sometimes as long as about two minutes. In other words, in the race against time battlefield, if the "Javelin" anti tank missile thermal imaging device is powered on and cooled for too long, it will not only lead to direct destruction of enemy ground tanks, but may also face the danger of being annihilated by close combat.In terms of the deployment and application of TOS-1A, in addition to considering factors such as combat objectives and surrounding environment, there is also an important indicator, which is the maximum range. To achieve the expected combat effect within the maximum range, TOS-1A will never take a huge risk to advance further. The "Javelin" anti tank missile will also face another major challenge, as its maximum range of 4750 meters means that individual formations carrying out anti tank strike missions need to gradually infiltrate and approach the enemy while being covered by firepower. If God has eyes and is not detected by enemy surveillance and reconnaissance forces during the infiltration process, individual formations still need to search for good shooting positions, power on and cool the thermal imaging instrument, and observe the target.The TOS-1A weapon system of the Russian military is usually deployed in the front and rear of brigade level units, and is guarded by other forces. Therefore, it is not easy for the Javelin Anti Tank Team to cross the front line and approach the position of TOS-1A. If there is even a slight mistake, the individual formation must be prepared to meet God. Therefore, how to approach TOS-1A will be the primary concern for Ukrainian soldiers equipped with the "Javelin" anti tank missile.

A TOS-1A flamethrower tank can eliminate all living forces within a few square kilometers in a single salvo, and no organic life form can survive such an attack. Create a high-temperature and overpressure environment in the area where the rocket explosion occurred. Causing severe inhalation burns to the target group can result in the enemy's vital forces being burned alive on the battlefield. The overpressure environment formed by thermobaric bombs can even tear apart human organs, and even hiding in shelters or basements cannot escape danger. Therefore, as long as there is such a weapon, no matter how strong the modern defense position is, there is no possibility of holding it.

Source: Military of Strong Countries