What are Thermobaric bombs? TOS-1 flamethrower weapon explained as Vladimir Putin prepares to unleash destructive explosion

On February 26, some Buratino TOS-1 thermobaric weapon systems were spotted near the Russian territory near Ukraine’s Kharkiv city. The multiple rocket launcher has allegedly not been used against Ukraine yet.

However, Ukraine’s army thwarting Russia’s invasion of the country may provoke Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow deployment of the TOS-1 flamethrower. Even Western allies’ authorities are concerned with the dangers that this weapon system poses to the Eastern European country.

TOS-1 is considered one of the most destructive and brutal weapons in the world. As per current reports, Russian weapons were seen traveling towards Kharkiv and Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.

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Thermobaric bombs explained

This explosive bomb is also known as a vacuum bomb which uses oxygen from the surrounding environment to create massive combustion of the fuel-air mixture. This results in an extremely high-temperature explosion.

While most conventional weapons use oxidizers to burn explosives, vacuum bombs are almost entirely made of fuel, which gives them a higher burn time. The power of the weapon is its high-temperature explosion. The shockwave created by the blast combined with the oxygen from the surroundings makes this type of bomb much more dangerous.

Thermobaric bombs are inaccurate as the first charge deals with bursting an amount of pure fuel around the target, which mixes with atmospheric oxygen. It is then ignited with the second charge. The bomb’s dependency on oxygen limits its usage in most situations where quality air is inaccessible, like underwater or high-altitude use cases.

During World War II, these weapons were first developed by the Germans and were later improved upon by the US and Russia in the 60s. The US used this weapon to target Osama Bin Laden in Al Qaeda’s caves in Tora Bora, Afghanistan.

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Why might Russian President Vladimir Putin authorize the usage of thermobaric bombs against Ukraine?

As of now, Ukraine’s forces have prevented the Russian military from taking control of their cities. The lack of progress in the invasion from Russia’s side, combined with Putin’s history of using such weapons, may hint at his inclination.

Russia has allegedly used these bombs in Syria. Furthermore, the TOS-1 heavy flamethrower system is not built for accurate targets, which suggests that these weapons may be used in close combat against the Ukrainian forces to gain an edge in the invasion.

In September last year, the thermobaric weapons system was used in the Russian-Belarusian exercise Zapad. This showcased the Russian military’s proficiency with the weapon.