Camilla Jessen
Ukrainian drone wipes out Russia’s feared TOS-1A.
A Ukrainian strike team has taken out one of Russia’s most notorious weapons, a thermobaric launcher capable of generating devastating heat and blast pressure.
The attack was carried out in the Lyman area of Donetsk Oblast and turned the Kremlin’s multi-million-dollar machine into debris within seconds.
Footage released by Ukraine shows how a low-cost drone triggered the chain reaction.
A high-value target
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry posted a video on X confirming the destruction of the TOS-1A system.
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The weapon was reportedly struck by the 63rd Independent Mechanized Brigade, which said its drone operators hit the launcher’s ammunition directly.
The brigade described the strike as a classic example of asymmetric warfare: A small, inexpensive device wiping out one of Russia’s most intimidating pieces of equipment.
“Maximum damage estimated at millions of dollars and a complete detonation – all thanks to an FPV drone worth only a few hundred dollars,” the brigade’s press service said.
How the system works
The TOS-1A, mounted on a T-72 tank chassis, measures roughly 9.5 meters in length and is powered by an 840-horsepower engine.
With a top speed near 60 km/h, the launcher is designed for rapid repositioning after firing.
What makes the system feared is its array of 220-millimeter rockets, each p acking about 45 kilograms of thermobaric explosive.
These weapons disperse a fuel-air mixture before detonation, producing massive overpressure and extreme heat.
Temperatures at the blast’s center can rise to around 3,000 degrees Celsius, which is intense enough to “vaporize everything alive,” as Ukrainian officials noted.
Sources: Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, WP Tech
