Breaking News
Russia Dispatches New TOS‑1A Solntsepek Flamethrowers With Upgraded Anti‑Drone Protection.
Uralvagonzavod has delivered a fresh batch of TOS 1A Solntsepek heavy flamethrower systems equipped with a new anti drone protection suite. The move signals Russia’s continued effort to harden frontline fire support assets as drone threats grow in the Ukrainian battlespace.
On 13 November 2025, Uralvagonzavod, part of the Rostec State Corporation, announced the dispatch of a new batch of TOS-1A Solntsepek heavy flamethrower systems to the Russian Armed Forces. Timed to coincide with Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops Day, this delivery is notable for the integration of an upgraded anti-drone protection complex. The systems were cleared only after field trials confirmed the reliability of their mechanisms and instruments in varied operating conditions. The announcement is significant because it shows that, rather than scaling back, Russia is reinforcing and adapting a key element of its heavy fire support in the Ukrainian theater.
The TOS 1A Solntsepek is a tracked heavy flamethrower system that launches short-range thermobaric rockets designed to clear fortified positions with intense overpressure (Picture Source: Rostec)
The TOS-1A Solntsepek is presented by Rostec as a heavy flamethrower system mounted on a T-72 tank chassis, designed to deliver concentrated fire support at short to medium ranges. Its rockets can be launched from a few hundred meters out to several kilometers, providing direct support to assault units. A full salvo can blanket up to 40,000 square meters in a matter of seconds, allowing crews to rapidly saturate a defined area. In the current conflict, Rostec states that Solntsepek crews are employed to strike fortified strongpoints, UAV control posts, concentrations of personnel and armored vehicles on multiple axes of operations.
According to Rostec, the systems dispatched in this latest batch underwent running and acceptance tests to verify compliance with tactical and technical requirements before being transferred to frontline units. The manufacturer highlights a continuous feedback loop: combat employment is treated as the primary driver of modernization, with engineers and designers refining the system based on operational experience.
Rostec underlines several advantages of the TOS-1A concept. The combination of a protected tank chassis, relatively short engagement distances and a salvo capable of covering tens of thousands of square meters gives the system a distinct role in breaching fortified positions and disrupting key nodes such as UAV command posts. The concern describes the TOS-1A as one of the most effective items in Russia’s current inventory and stresses that it has “no direct analogues”. At the same time, work is nearing completion on a modernized TOS variant based on the T-80 tank chassis, which is expected to offer increased range, improved accuracy and greater automation of key processes. Together with the new anti-drone complex, these enhancements aim to keep the system viable in a battlefield increasingly dominated by unmanned aerial threats and precision countermeasures.
The integration of a dedicated anti-drone protection suite into the latest batch is particularly revealing of Russian threat perceptions and priorities. Rostec notes that this new defensive complex was designed using lessons drawn from combat use, indicating that unmanned aerial vehicles are now considered one of the main dangers to high-value fire support assets. By hardening the Solntsepek against drone reconnaissance and attack, Russian planners are trying to secure the system’s survivability while it delivers concentrated fire in support of assault operations. This approach reflects a broader trend in which artillery, rocket systems and armored platforms are being adapted specifically to resist UAVs rather than treating them as a secondary concern.
Viewed in strategic terms, the publicized delivery of additional TOS-1A systems with new protective features suggests that Russia intends to maintain a strategy centered on powerful, localized fire strikes against entrenched positions and critical nodes in Ukraine. Rostec’s messaging emphasizes continuity of production, the integration of combat feedback and the progression toward more automated and longer-range variants, which together indicate preparation for sustained operations rather than a short-term adjustment. By investing in both firepower and survivability against drones, Russia signals that it expects the combination of fortified defenses and pervasive UAV use to remain a defining feature of the conflict, and that its response will continue to rely on modernized heavy flamethrower systems as a key instrument of that strategy.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.