Ukraine appears to be using fire-spewing “dragon drones”, described as a "terrifying battlefied innovation", as its war with Russia continues. According to a CNN report, a video shared on social media, including Telegram, by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry on Wednesday showed a low-flying drone of this variety dropping molten metal onto Russian-held positions among tree lines in Ukraine. The footage shows the metal burning down trees and some military vehicles.
As per the report, the hot mixture that falls out of the drone is aluminium powder and iron oxide, called thermite, which burns at temperatures of up to 2,200 Celcius. The drone got its name because, as it flies, the thermite it releases looks like fire streaming from the mouth of a ‘dragon’.
The 60th Mechanized Brigade of Ukraine, CNN reported, shared drone footage of the thermite bombing, and said, "Strike Drones are our wings of vengeance, bringing fire straight from the sky!... They become a real threat to the enemy, burning his positions with an accuracy that no other weapon can achieve,” the post continued.
It stated that when “our Vidar [Norse god of vengeance] works — the Russian woman will never sleep”.
CNN quoted Nicholas Drummond, a defence industry analyst who specialises in land warfare and a former British Army officer, as saying that fear is likely the main effect of Ukraine’s thermite drones. Drummond said that it is "very nasty stuff". He said while delivering stuff using drones is quite innovative when used in this way, the effect is more psychological than physical. “I understand that Ukraine only possesses a limited capacity to deliver a thermite effect, so this is a niche capability rather than new mainstream weapon,” he was quoted as saying by CNN. But he acknowledged the terror thermite could create, saying he would not like to be "on the receiving end of it”.
History Of Thermite
Thermite was discovered in the 1890s by a German chemist, Hans Goldschmidt, CNN reported, adding that it can burn through almost any material, including metal, which means there is little protection from it. Thermite’s military effectiveness was recognised in World War I after Germany dropped it from zeppelins on Britain, CNN noted, citing historical records from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
"Both Germany and the Allies used thermite aerial bombs in World War II, and they also utilised it to disable captured artillery pieces, putting thermite into the breech and melting the weapon shut from the inside," the report added.
The United Nations Office for Disarmament said that incendiary weapons can cause major destruction and environmental damage. “The fires produced by the weapon itself or ignited by it are difficult to predict and to contain. Therefore, incendiary weapons are often described as ‘area weapons’ due to their impact over a broad area", it says on its website.
According to CNN, while thermite weapons are not banned for military combat, use on civilians is prohibited due to the horrible effects they can have on the human body.
In photos shared by a Telegram channel named Khorne Group, described by Kyiv Post as "part of the 116th Mechanized Brigade’s unmanned attack aircraft company", the vegetation along the path of a ‘dragon drone’ was shown on fire.