Is Russia’s Deadly Weapon now Deployed In Syria?
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If the opposition to Assad’s regime thought that the Russian’s Air Force massive air strikes are their biggest problem, it might want to think again. Unverified reports have recently emerged that Russia has deployed in Syria one of its most deadly weapons – TOS-1A multiple rocket launcher flamethrower called Blazing Sun. This weapon can destroy eight buildings in a single strike and causes devastating damage.
Recent photos shared on Twitter from Syria shows at least one such Russian multiple rocket launcher and thermobaric weapons, which use oxygen from the air around to create a massive, high temperature explosion, mounted on a T-72 tank chassis being deployed by the Syrian soldiers.
When fired, the thermobaric rockets release a cloud of flammable liquid into the air around the target, before lighting it up. A research conducted by an American intelligence agency states that the results are devastating—not only is the explosion significantly longer and the shockwave significantly hotter and stronger than a conventional warhead, but all the oxygen in the near vicinity is also consumed, creating a partial vacuum, strong enough to cause lethal internal damage including the explosion of vital organs such as the lungs. The thermobaric explosion is more concentrated than conventional bombs the same size, but it can only explode on the ground, in a non-too-thin atmosphere and in the right weather.
The Russians have developed a large number of these thermobaric weapons. The Russian military used them in the Afghanistan war and in the second Chechen war (against civilians as well). The US military has also used this kind of weapon during the war in Afghanistan in 2001 against those fortified in the tunnels.
As mentioned, it is not yet clear whether this is a reliable report and not yet known how many of these weapons are deployed in Syria, but their mere presence should be scaring ISIS. As long as they never get their hands on them as well, that is.
