TOS-1
Encyclopedia
TOS-1 is a Soviet 30-barrel (original system, Ob.634 or TOS-1M) or 24-barrel (Ob.634B or TOS-1A) multiple rocket launcher
and thermobaric weapon
mounted on a T-72
tank chassis
. TOS-1 was designed for defeating enemy personnel in fortifications, in open country, and in lightly armoured vehicles and transport. First combat tests took place in 1988-1989 in the Panjshir Valley
during the Soviet war in Afghanistan
. The TOS-1 was shown for the first time in public in 1999 in Omsk
.
The TOS-1 is not used by the artillery units of the Russian Armed Forces but is found in NBC defense units .
to launch rockets equipped with incendiary and thermobaric warheads arose in late 1970s. The combat system consisting of the combat vehicle, rockets, and loading vehicle was developed in early 1980s at KBTM in Omsk
and was named TOS-1, remaining a secret development for a long time.
The TOS-1 is intended to engage military personnel, equipment, and buildings, including fortified constructions. The combat vehicle acts within the combat order of infantry and tanks. The large mass of the launcher and the need for a high-level of protection (due to the relatively short range of 3,500 m) helped determine the use of the chassis of the T-72
main battle tank. The reloading vehicle TZM was built on the chassis of a cross-country truck KrAZ-255B
and equipped with a crane for loading/unloading of the launcher.
In 2001, the improved TOS-1A system entered service. the improved system's range has been extended to 6 kilometers and it's ballistic computer has been upgraded .
The nickname Buratino
matches the name of the hero of a Russian version of a Pinocchio
-style tale (by Alexey Tolstoy
), because of the big "nose" of the launcher, but the name essentially meaning "heavy flame throwing merry wooden boy" is somewhat ironic and sometimes used for comedic purposes in Russia.
Multiple rocket launcher
A multiple rocket launcher is a type of unguided rocket artillery system. Like other rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers are less accurate and have a much lower rate of fire than batteries of traditional artillery guns...
and thermobaric weapon
Thermobaric weapon
A thermobaric weapon, which includes the type known as a "fuel-air bomb", is an explosive weapon that produces a blast wave of a significantly longer duration than those produced by condensed explosives. This is useful in military applications where its longer duration increases the numbers of...
mounted on a T-72
T-72
The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1970. It is developed directly from Obyekt-172, and shares parallel features with the T-64A...
tank chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
. TOS-1 was designed for defeating enemy personnel in fortifications, in open country, and in lightly armoured vehicles and transport. First combat tests took place in 1988-1989 in the Panjshir Valley
Panjshir Valley
The Panjshir Province is a valley in north-central Afghanistan, 150 km north of Kabul, near the Hindu Kush mountain range. Located in the Panjshir Province it is divided by the Panjshir River...
during the Soviet war in Afghanistan
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
. The TOS-1 was shown for the first time in public in 1999 in Omsk
Omsk
-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes...
.
The TOS-1 is not used by the artillery units of the Russian Armed Forces but is found in NBC defense units .
Development
The idea of a heavy short-range MLRSMultiple rocket launcher
A multiple rocket launcher is a type of unguided rocket artillery system. Like other rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers are less accurate and have a much lower rate of fire than batteries of traditional artillery guns...
to launch rockets equipped with incendiary and thermobaric warheads arose in late 1970s. The combat system consisting of the combat vehicle, rockets, and loading vehicle was developed in early 1980s at KBTM in Omsk
Omsk
-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes...
and was named TOS-1, remaining a secret development for a long time.
The TOS-1 is intended to engage military personnel, equipment, and buildings, including fortified constructions. The combat vehicle acts within the combat order of infantry and tanks. The large mass of the launcher and the need for a high-level of protection (due to the relatively short range of 3,500 m) helped determine the use of the chassis of the T-72
T-72
The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1970. It is developed directly from Obyekt-172, and shares parallel features with the T-64A...
main battle tank. The reloading vehicle TZM was built on the chassis of a cross-country truck KrAZ-255B
KrAZ
KrAZ is a factory that produces trucks and other special-purpose vehicles in Kremenchuk, Ukraine; particularly heavy-duty off-road models...
and equipped with a crane for loading/unloading of the launcher.
In 2001, the improved TOS-1A system entered service. the improved system's range has been extended to 6 kilometers and it's ballistic computer has been upgraded .
The nickname Buratino
Buratino
Buratino is the main character of the book The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino by Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy. Based on the 1883 novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, Buratino originated as a character in the commedia dell'arte. The name Buratino is derived from the...
matches the name of the hero of a Russian version of a Pinocchio
Pinocchio
The Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi, written in Florence. The first half was originally a serial between 1881 and 1883, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio , an...
-style tale (by Alexey Tolstoy
Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy
Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy , nicknamed the Comrade Count, was a Russian and Soviet writer who wrote in many genres but specialized in science fiction and historical novels...
), because of the big "nose" of the launcher, but the name essentially meaning "heavy flame throwing merry wooden boy" is somewhat ironic and sometimes used for comedic purposes in Russia.
System description
The TOS-1A "Solntsepyok" system consists of the following items:- The "combat vehicle" BM-1 (rus.Russian languageRussian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
Боевая машина) (Ob.634B) based on a modified T-72A chassis and fitted with a rotating launch system for 24 unguided thermobaric rockets. All rockets can be launched within 6 to 12 seconds. The launch vehicle is equipped with a fire control system with ballistic computer, aiming sight and laser range finder 1D14. The other standard equipment consists of a TKN-3A sight for the commander, a navigation system GPK-59, radio station R-163-50U, intercom R-174 and smoke grenade launcher type 902G with 4 barrels. The 3-man crew is armed with one AKS-74AK-74The AK-74 is an assault rifle developed in the early 1970s in the Soviet Union as the replacement for the earlier AKM...
, one RPKS-74, three RPG-26RPG-26The RPG-26 Aglen is a disposable anti-tank rocket launcher developed by the Soviet Union. It fires a single-stage rocket with jack-knife fins, which unfold after launch...
and 10 hand grenades F-1. The BM-1 is fitted with the same equipment as the T-72 tank (NBC protection, fire-fighting, observation etc.). - Two re-supply vehicles TZM-T (rus.Russian languageRussian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
Транспортно-заряжающая машина) (Ob.563), fitted with a 10kN crane. Each vehicle carries 2x12 spare rockets and 400 litres of fuel for the BM-1 and has a combat weigh of 39 t. The TZM-T has a crew of three, armed with two AKS-74, one RPKS-74, five RPG-26 and 10 hand grenades F-1. - A set of rockets NURS (rus.Russian languageRussian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
Неуправляемый реактивный снаряд) MO.1.01.04 and MO.1.01.04M. These are 3.3 and 3.7 m long and weigh 173 and 217 kg respectively. The original rocket for the TOS-1A had a range of only 2,700 m but there is an improved version with a range of 6,000 m.