TM-TOS-1M(Updates Stopped, Future Updates Will Be Uploaded To MEGA Cloud Drive)

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The year was 1988 and the war in Afghanistan was not going well for the Soviets. While it could not turn the tides of war in Soviet favor, the performance of the two prototype Buratino rocket launchers in Afghanistan was highly successful. It quickly became possibly the most feared Soviet weapon system due to the fact that its 220mm thermobaric rockets were utterly and completely devastating. The Buratino was a relic of the times when the urban fighting success wasn’t measured by rooms cleared but by city blocks leveled.

The Buratino was officially accepted in service in 1995, although it wasn’t until 1999 when it was first officially shown in public during the Second Chechen War. It’s worth noting that it isn’t the artillery branch that’s operating the TOS vehicles – these systems are operated by Russia’s chemical (NBC protection) troops, likely a throwback to how the entire program started.

Two years later, in 2001, a more famous version of the Buratino appeared – this was the TOS-1A Solntsepyok ("sun’s scorch”). Unlike the Buratino, the TOS-1A was officially accepted in service (in 2003), built in significant numbers and was exported as well. But the TOS-1A is a different machine – let us get back to the Buratino and the Soviet experience in its use.

Even during the very first engagements, it was clear that due to its relatively low range of three kilometers or so, the Buratino had a problem as, unlike the other self-propelled artillery pieces in Soviet and later Russian service, it sometimes found itself within the range of enemy retaliation. Additionally, when reloading or deploying to fire, the Buratino was completely defenseless.

As a stopgap measure, the rare Buratinos deployed in Afghanistan had to be escorted by vehicles capable of engaging soft targets at close ranges (or in elevated positions) such as the BMP-2. This, of course, wasn’t ideal and it was deemed necessary for the vehicle to be able to defend itself on its own and by that time, the specialized BMO-T wasn’t developed yet (and wouldn’t have enough firepower even if it had been available at the time).

To address these issues, a project called TOS-1M was developed in 1997 in Omsk – evolution-wise, it falls right between the TOS-1 and the TOS-1A. It’s neither really, but it’s a version of the TOS-1, which is why we decided to keep the name Buratino.

The design introduced the following improvements to the TOS:

1.Additional 30mm autocannon installed on the side of the turret below the launcher (in later iterations, this was removed due to the complications with its installation)
2.Additional thermal imager
3.Improved range from 3km to 5-7km
4.Improved accuracy due to a modernized ballistic computer
5.Improved rocket performance (the original Buratino’s one rocket covered 700 m2 with a whole salvo covering 1 to 1,5 hectare, improved to 900m2 and 2 hectares)
6.Reduced height of the vehicle by reducing the launcher capacity from 30 to 24 rockets
7.Added ability to fire without deploying the outriggers thanks to a new suspension—blocking system
8.Upgraded chassis from the original T-72 platform to a “contemporary tank” with the T-80U being the most likely candidate due to the fact it was produced in Omsk
9.Additional protection in the form of hard-kill APS
The design is described in detail in Patent No. 97107808/20 from 13.05.1997. The vehicle weighed some 44 tons and had a crew of three men (driver, commander and weapon operator). The hull protection was taken from the basic MBT model the TOS is built on (our model uses the T-90 MBT as a basis) while the launcher could resist small arms only (in reality, firing at the launcher results in a rather spectacular explosion, something the TOS-1M was designed to avoid). Additional protection was provided by:

1.902G Tucha smoke grenade launcher system
2.Argus-KSIZ soft-kill APS
3.T2A2 hard-kill APS
The firepower consisted of 24 massive 220mm thermobaric rockets in a box-like launcher as well as one 30mm 2A42 autocannon mounted on the right side of the turret. The exact way how the weapon was supposed to be installed was not specified – we have come up with a modified helicopter mount that would fit the design.

The launcher and the cannon could depress to -3 degrees and elevate to +48 degrees. Two rocket types were used:

1.MO.1.01.04M (thermobaric)
2.MO.1.01.04M.OP (high-explosive incendiary)
The fire control system included:

1.1D14 rangefinder
2.TKN-3 commander optics
Ballistic computer set
An alternative weapons project was also envisaged. Instead of 24 220mm rockets, there was a version with 80 smaller 122mm rockets developed from the Grad MLRS rockets (but not identical). At least one prototype was built and trialed with unknown results. Little else is known about this variant.

The vehicle was powered by the T-90’s V-84MS diesel producing 840hp. The maximum speed was 60 km/h – at least in “our” configuration (the T-80 variant would naturally have a gas turbine).

As you probably know by now, it wasn’t approved for further development. The most likely reason is that the T-80 series of MBTs fell out of favor after the infamous Battle of Grozny due to their poor performance and vulnerable ammunition. Anything T-80-related would therefore have a hard time getting funding.

Besides, the T-80 chassis was not strong enough on its own and would have to be modified significantly, which constituted another major expense. The T-72-based or T-90-based TOS-1A was developed and produced instead.

Russia itself has about 50 TOS-1A vehicles in service but it also became a fairly successful export item, no doubt thanks to its terrifying reputation:

1.Kazakhstan bought 3 in 2013-2014, first shown in 2015 during a military parade (these are intended to work with the BMPTs – TOS-1A rockets hit the area and the Terminators mop up the rest)
2.Azerbaijan also bought 18-36 in 2013-2014, these were T-90-based
3.Iraq bought 12 vehicles in 2014
4.Algeria bought 36 in 2017, first unveiled in 2018
5.Syria and Tajikistan also have some according to certain sources and Saudi Arabia might be interested in license-production.
In total, the TOS-1A production seems to have reached approximately 160-200 vehicles between 2003 and this day. The exact number is unknown but according to some sources, the production is actually ongoing (for the Russian Army) next to its supposed replacement, the TOS-2 that is not tank-based but uses an Ural 6x6 truck as its platform of choice. As for the earlier Buratino, it’s unclear how many vehicles were built, possibly only the original two.

As for their combat use – as stated above, the first operational use for the two prototypes took place between 1988 and 1989 in Afghanistan (some sources claim they were used as early as 1985). It took another decade before they saw combat again – the Second Chechen War highlighted their fearsome firepower. The Iraqis used the TOS successfully in 2014 during their war against the Islamic State. Between 2015 and 2018, the TOS was used in Syria as well and, last but not least, in the Azerbaijan and Armenia conflict in 2016 and 2020 – by the Azerbaijanis. Most recently, the TOS-1A appeared in Ukraine.

It’s worth noting that the weapon system is quite difficult to operate, to reload and is very rare. Due to its notoriety, many large explosions and rocket salvos were attributed to it by journalists but the reality is that most people can’t tell a thermobaric explosion from a normal one and most of the reported “TOS operations” were in fact performed by standard Grad reactive artillery. Nevertheless, wherever the TOS appears, destruction follows in its wake.