Lumbering with oversized, boxy turrets, TOS-1A Buratino thermobaric rocket launchers rolled out at the Shikhany training ground in southeast Russia in late October 2017. An array of tubes mounted on a T-72 tank chassis, the 45.3-ton Buratino is hardly a new weapon but one that has become increasingly popular internationally for its firepower.
Namely, two dozen 220-millimeter rockets — between 381 and 478 pounds depending on the version — equipped with either incendiary or thermobaric warheads. The latter creates an enormous explosion by emitting a flammable, chemical cloud that ignites the surrounding air with it.
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