Ukrainian forces successfully destroyed a Russian TOS-1A Solntsepyok thermobaric rocket launcher using a combination of First-Person View (FPV) and bomber drones, according to footage released by the unit’s press service.
The operation was carried out by the 427th Separate Regiment of Unmanned Systems, known as the Rarog unit, in Zaporizhzhia. The exact date of the attack has not been disclosed.
“Our warriors successfully carried out the destruction of the heavy flamethrower system TOS-1A ‘Solntsepyok,’ which is the pride of the Russian military-industrial complex and a rare target on the front,” Ukraine’s security service said.
Воїни СБУ спалили російський «Солнцепьок»
Успішну роботу зі знищення тяжкої вогнеметної системи ТОС-1А «Солнцепьок», яка є «гордістю» російського ВПК і рідкісною ціллю на фронті, наші воїни провели на Запорізькому напрямку.
Нищимо окупантів до повної Перемоги! pic.twitter.com/IAi8vTEUdT
— СБ України (@ServiceSsu) August 3, 2024
The video captures the TOS-1A firing a salvo before attempting to retreat. An FPV drone hit the launcher’s guide rails, then bombs from a bomber drone set the vehicle on fire. The coordinated attack left the system completely inoperable.
The TOS-1A can fire up to 24 powerful rockets quickly from a tank-based platform, hitting targets up to six kilometers away.
It is “highly destructive but scarce,” according to the U.S.-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War. Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry has described the TOS-1A as a “formidable” weapon that “instills panic.”
Valued at over $15 million each, the system remains a high-priority target for Ukrainian drone teams.
Since the full-scale invasion began, Russian forces have lost at least 33 TOS-1A systems, with 24 confirmed destroyed, according to open-source monitoring by Oryx.
