Horror as thermobaric missile launcher vaporised Ukrainian positions in Bakhmut, Donetsk. Russia unleashed brutal bombardment using the feared TOAS-1A thermobaric missile launcher. Far more dangerous than conventional explosives, thermobaric weapons can vaporize bodies. Thermobaric weapons spray fuel vapour; the cloud is then ignited by a second blast. The main damage is inflicted by the thermobaric (temperature and pressure) effect.