Ukraine's FPV drone demolishes Russian thermobaric launcher

Russian TOS-1 heavy flamethrowers are designed to fire missiles with thermobaric warheads. Although it is a lethally effective weapon, its short firing range hinders its effective use and forces it to appear near the front lines. Ukrainian FPV drone pilots were waiting for this.

The Security Service of Ukraine has released a new video showing a successful attack on a TOS-1 launcher using an FPV drone. According to the Ukrainian report, the Russian vehicle was located by a reconnaissance group and destroyed with the help of an FPV drone.

A second drone filmed the attack from a distance, allowing us to see its spectacular effect. Since the TOS-1 had its launcher loaded with missiles, the hit turned it into a giant fireball.

The TOS-1 is a relatively rare artillery system. Technically, it is a multiple rocket launcher, but in Russian nomenclature, it is called a "heavy flamethrower."

This is because the launcher was designed to fire missiles with thermobaric warheads. Upon hitting the target, the warhead does not explode immediately but first releases a flammable cloud. Its ignition causes a violent explosion, similar in principle to a coal dust explosion in a mine.

This solution causes sudden pressure surges and oxygen depletion, which is deadly for people and destructive for certain fortifications or lightly armored vehicles. 

The TOS-1 has been produced since the late 1980s, but until the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, only a few dozen units of this weapon had likely reached the Russian army, of which the Ukrainians have destroyed, captured, or damaged at least 28.

The system has several variants, the latest of which is the TOS-3 Drakon, which draws on experiences from the war in Ukraine.

In the latest version, the vehicle is equipped, among other things, with anti-drone grills and a jammer to hinder FPV drone attacks. As seen in the attack video, and judging by its effectiveness, the destroyed TOS-1 had neither of these protections.