Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced a significant increase in the production of shells for flamethrower weapons of the Russian Armed Forces.
He made this statement at a meeting of the board of the military department.
“The high efficiency of flamethrower-incendiary weapons has led to the need to increase the production of ammunition for them.
Thus, the production of unguided rockets for heavy flamethrower systems and rocket-propelled infantry flamethrowers has been increased by 12 times,” Shoigu said.
According to the minister, heavy flamethrower units make a significant contribution to the destruction of Ukrainian Armed Forces targets - they have completed more than 4 thousand combat missions since the beginning of the special operation.
“The supply of heavy flamethrower systems with enhanced combat characteristics has increased their combat potential by 2.2 times,” Shoigu added.
"They destroy all living things"
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the heavy flamethrower system TOS-1A “Solntsepek” is widely used in the Northern Military District zone.
It provides cover for assault units, strikes warehouses, equipment, strongholds, dugouts and other engineering structures of Ukrainian militants.
At the beginning of February, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the successful use of TOS-1A in the Kupyansky direction for long-term shelters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
“The enemy is concentrating his forces at the front line.
We work against enemy manpower, fortifications, dugouts, that is, in those places where the enemy concentrates his forces.
This vehicle has proven itself throughout the Northern Military District as a very effective and powerful weapon.
The enemy is very afraid of her,” the press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense quotes the words of the commander of a flamethrower company with the call sign Ural.
“Solntsepek” has no analogues in the world and is distinguished by its unpretentiousness and mobility.
The system's launcher can accommodate 24 thermobaric projectiles, which are capable of destroying enemy targets over an area of up to 40 thousand square meters.
m. The firing range of the TOS-1A reaches 6 km.
As Ural stated, upon contact with a target, thermobaric projectiles form a shock wave that creates “high temperature and pressure.”
The materials of the Russian Ministry of Defense report that the Solntsepyok shells literally “destroy all living things.”
“The result of the impact from the objective control camera.
Upon hitting the target, the thermobaric projectile sprays and then ignites an explosive mixture.
Temperature several thousand degrees plus excess pressure.
They destroy all living things,” the military department explains.
Control and adjustment of the targets being hit is carried out by UAV crews, which transmit the results of the destruction to the command post in real time.
The shooting itself is carried out using the latest software systems for topographic and geodetic referencing.
High accuracy of salvo fire at an area target is ensured by direct aiming and automated guidance.
“TOS-1A “Solntsepek” works flawlessly.
If the enemy can still hide from MLRS fire in a trench or dugout, then it is simply impossible to escape from the explosion of a thermobaric rocket,” notes the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Firing thermobaric rockets
© RIA Novosti / Vladimir Astapkovich
Due to its high destructive power, the Solntsepik is a priority target for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
For this reason, TOS-1A is accompanied by BMP-3, armed with electronic warfare (EW) equipment.
The combat operation of the system is most often carried out at night - this is safer and more unexpected for the enemy.
In addition to the “Solntsepek”, the TOS-2 “Tosochka” is effectively used in the North-Eastern Military District zone.
The complex is built on a Tornado-U wheeled chassis with a protected cabin.
The system is two times lighter than the Solntsepek, but also belongs to the class of heavy flamethrower equipment.
The Tosochka's firing range exceeds 20 km.
TOS-2 is equipped with new thermobaric missiles, an automated guidance and fire control system (AFC) and a system for countering precision weapons.
Another advantage of the Tosochka is its combat use from unprepared positions and the ability to leave them before enemy artillery can strike back.
Flamethrower system "Tosochka"
RIA News
© Mikhail Voskresensky
Also in the Northern Military District zone, the modernized infantry jet mobile flamethrower RPO PDM-A “Shmel-M” is successfully used.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, it belongs to a new generation of high-precision mobile assault weapons.
The complex is designed to destroy manpower in shelters and disable automobile and lightly armored vehicles.
The impact area of the Shmel-M flamethrower can reach 80 square meters.
m.
“The flamethrower fires a rocket-propelled shot from thermobaric equipment, which is located in a disposable fiberglass transport and launch container.
The damaging factors of the ammunition are a high-temperature field and a high-pressure zone with a significant duration of exposure,” says the materials of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
In the near future, the Russian army will receive a new self-propelled combat system capable of using thermobaric ammunition.
Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov spoke about it for the first time at the end of December in an interview with RIA Novosti.
According to him, the newest complex is called “Revival”.
It was created on the basis of the “Agriculture” remote mining engineering vehicle (ISDM).
The system is capable of using shells from the Uragan MLRS or rockets from flamethrower systems.
“Now we have proposed how to increase its (ISDM -
RT
) potential: it can be used simultaneously both as a remote mining vehicle and as an MLRS, if equipped with a unified transport and launch container.
As a result, we created a container that also allows launching rockets, for example from Uragan or TOS-1, TOS-1A and TOS-2,” Chemezov said.
The news about the creation of “Renaissance” found a response abroad.
Thus, at the end of December, the Polish publication Interia reported that the appearance of a Russian combat vehicle will create additional problems for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Journalists believe that the missiles will be able to hit Ukrainian troops when trying to pass through minefields.
Arsenal Update
According to experts interviewed by RT, the experience of using flamethrower systems in the Northern Military District zone has proven their high effectiveness.
In this regard, Russia is striving to increase the production of both existing models and completely new vehicles.
“Thanks to its colossal power, flamethrower weapons can, in fact, be called ground aviation.
A hit from thermobaric ammunition leaves virtually no chance for the enemy, who is trying to take refuge in various engineering structures.
Therefore, flamethrower systems are very helpful to our assault groups,” military expert Kirill Fedorov said in an interview with RT.
Shooting from RPO "Shmel"
The only significant drawback of flamethrower technology, according to the analyst, is the relatively modest firing range.
For example, it does not always allow the deployment of Solntsepok on the line of combat contact due to its high vulnerability to enemy anti-tank systems, drones and artillery.
“As far as I know, the problem of destruction range is being solved - and very successfully.
True, it is relevant primarily for “Solntsepok”.
Our specialists are probably working or have already developed more advanced engines and warheads for its missiles, as well as an improved fire control system.
It can be assumed that the modernized Solntsepok will aim at the target faster and have a larger affected area,” Fedorov explained.
According to RT’s interlocutor, the latest Tosochki are in great demand in the advanced units of the Russian Armed Forces.
In addition to the higher range compared to Solntsepek, the expert considered mobility and high speed of deployment on the ground to be the main advantages of TOS-2.
Military observer Alexander Butyrin expressed a similar point of view on modern Russian flamethrower systems in a commentary to RT.
In his opinion, the Russian army needs more Tosochek and Solntsepyok.
“More systems like this are needed to successfully complete tasks on the battlefield.
They work across areas and are primarily effective against manpower.
Considering the terrible power of this weapon, the enemy may be frightened by even the very possibility of using our heavy flamethrower systems on it,” Butyrin said.
According to the expert, the Russian defense industry is currently seeking to modernize standard flamethrower equipment and create new models capable of using thermobaric ammunition.
“Judging by the data announced by the Minister of Defense, the army began to receive significantly more flamethrower equipment and ammunition for it.
At the same time, measures are being taken to update the flamethrower arsenal.
In the future, our army should be replenished with a significant number of wheeled systems,” summed up Butyrin.