TOS-1A Solntsepyok

Russia's T-72-based 220 mm heavy flamethrower system — a short-range thermobaric rocket launcher that turns field fortifications into deathtraps, and one of the most destructively hunted vehicles in the war in Ukraine.

Overview

The TOS-1A Solntsepyok (Object 634B / BM-1) is a Russian self-propelled multiple rocket launcher designed to destroy dug-in infantry, fortifications and light armour at short range with thermobaric and incendiary rockets. Operated by Russia’s NBC Protection Troops rather than the artillery branch, it is classified as a “heavy flamethrower system” and has been exported to several Middle Eastern, North African, Central Asian and Caucasian states. Based on the T-72 main battle tank chassis, the vehicle combines tank-level protection with a 24-tube 220 mm launcher capable of saturating up to 40,000 m² with a single salvo GlobalSecurity. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Solntsepyok’s extreme close-range employment has made it a priority target for Ukrainian FPV drones, ATGMs and artillery, with over two dozen confirmed destroyed and many more damaged or captured.

Development

The concept of a heavy short-range MLRS firing incendiary and thermobaric rockets emerged in the late 1970s, and the Omsk Transmash Design Bureau (KBTM) began development of the TOS-1 complex in the early 1980s, mating a 30-tube launcher to a T-72 hull. The system was reportedly first combat-tested by Soviet forces in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley in 1988–89, and the baseline TOS-1 Buratino entered service in 1988, though it was not publicly revealed until a 1999 exhibition in Omsk Wikipedia. The improved TOS-1A Solntsepyok, with a 24-tube launcher, a ballistic computer and rockets that reached 6 km, was introduced in 2003. In 2018, the Russian NBC Protection Troops received 30 updated vehicles with reactive armour and new launcher systems. Rocket evolution continued: a 2020 model extended range to 10 km, and a March 2020 upgrade included a heavier warhead. As the Ukraine war exposed survivability gaps, Russian manufacturers added anti-drone protection to vehicles delivered in late 2024 and 2025 DefenseMirror. Production remains ongoing, and the Moscow Military District is scheduled to receive additional TOS-1A and the wheeled TOS-2 Tosochka in 2026 TASS.

🔒 The rest of the TOS-1A Solntsepyok file is for BattlePolicy Pro members. Stop here and you miss the part that actually matters: how it performs and where it falls short, its combat record, how it stacks up head-to-head against its real counterparts, the complete specifications table, and our analysts’ procurement, supplier and assessment notes. Unlock the full file with BattlePolicy Pro →