TOS-2
Russian multiple thermobaric rocket launcher
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The TOS-2 (Tosochka) (Russian: тяжёлая огнемётная система [ТОС-2], romanized: Tyazhyelaya ognemyotnaya sistema [TOS-2], Heavy Flamethrower System) is a Russian multiple rocket launcher capable of using thermobaric warheads, mounted on a 3-axle truck chassis. TOS-2 was designed to attack enemy fortified positions and lightly armoured vehicles and transports, in open terrain in particular.
| TOS-2 | |
|---|---|
TOS-2 during the "Armiya 2022" exhibition | |
| Type | Multiple rocket launcher |
| Place of origin | Russia |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2021–present |
| Used by | Russia |
| Wars | Russo-Ukrainian war[1] |
| Production history | |
| Designer | NPO Splav |
| Designed | 2016 |
| Produced | 2021 |
| Variants | TOS-2 |
| Specifications | |
| Shell | 18 MLRS |
| Caliber | 220 mm (8.7 in) |
| Effective firing range | 20 km |
History
On 12 January 2018, it was announced that NPO Splav was working on a prototype of a next generation TOS-1 system for preliminary tests. The system with improved tactical and technical characteristics will be made on a wheeled chassis.[2]
The new TOS-2 (Tosochka) system was first unveiled during the 2020 Moscow Victory Day Parade,[3] and further showcased during the Kavkaz-2020 drills in September 2020. It is equipped with a more powerful TBS-M3 rocket and its own crane. It has also an increased range and is protected from precision weapons.[4][5] The system uses the 6x6 Ural-63706-0120 all-terrain vehicle instead of the tracked armored chassis of the TOS-1A.[3]
The TOS-2 entered service with the Central Military District on 6 January 2021.[6]
In late May 2022, TASS reported that the system was deployed in Ukraine during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[3] In October 2023, the TOS-2 system was sighted in the area surrounding Kreminna, Luhansk Oblast.[7] It was reported in August 2024 that the range of the system has been extended, up to 20 km.[8] Supplies of a masking coating began in October 2024.[9]
In February 2025, photos showing a destroyed TOS-2 MLRS in the Pokrovsk area were published on the internet. This represented the first confirmed loss of this system.[10] As of 18 June 2025[update], OSINT defense analysis website Oryx lists one TOS-2 as destroyed and one as damaged.[11]
Munitions
- The MO.1.01.04 (Russian: неуправляемый реактивный снаряд) are 3.3 m (10 ft 10 in) long and weigh 173 kg (381 lb).[12] The original rocket for the TOS-1A had a range of only 2,700 m (8,900 ft). Modernized systems with active protection, new engine and launchers and other improvements were delivered in early 2018.[13][14]
- The MO.1.01.04M rocket is 3.7 m (12 ft 2 in) long and weighs 217 kg (478 lb).[15] This version extends the range to 6,000 m (20,000 ft). The system was modernized in 2016.[16]
- The M0.1.01.04M2 rocket was upgraded in March 2020 to a heavier thermobaric warhead and better 10km range, to operate outside the range of modern ATGMs.[15]
Side view of the TOS-2 with closeup of small 3-link crane attachment
Rear view of the TOS-2- TOS-2 system operating near Avdiivka
See also
- TOS-1 Buratino – a Soviet 30-barrel MLRS introduced in 1988 and mounted on a T-72 / T-90 tank chassis.
- TOS-1A Solntsepyok – an extended-range 24-barrel variant of TOS-1 introduced in 2003.
- TOS-3 Drakon – a 2024 prototype-stage larger-caliber 15-barrel MLRS with a tracked tank chassis and the TOS-2 launcher.