How the Solntsepyok TOS-1A Reinvents Its Role on the Battlefield
The Solntsepyok TOS-1A shows high effectiveness in Russia’s operation, used to crush fortified positions with thermobaric strikes and extreme destructive power.
The Russian heavy flamethrower system TOS-1A Solntsepyok has been showing striking battlefield effectiveness in the Special Military Operation, even though its current use goes well beyond the concept it was originally built around. Military analyst and Arsenal Otechestva editor Alexey Leonkov noted that Russian units now rely on the system to break fortified Ukrainian positions and wipe out enemy personnel and equipment.
Designed to operate at ranges of up to 10 kilometers, the system’s munitions were initially developed to burn out terrain contaminated by chemical or biological agents — the extreme temperatures generated by the explosions were meant to neutralize hazardous substances entirely.
Leonkov explained that, in today’s combat environment, these thermobaric rounds are repurposed for a different task: destroying heavily reinforced strongholds and fortifications where Ukrainian troops take shelter.
He also stressed that the TOS-1A’s strike leaves an oxygen-depleted zone, killing everything within it. The combination of intense heat and a powerful blast wave, he added, can disable armored vehicles and trigger the detonation of ammunition depots.