Ukraine appears to be building a fleet of “dragon drones,” modernizing a weapon used to terrifying effect in both world wars, CNN reports.
A series of videos posted on social media, including on the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Telegram on Wednesday, showed drones flying at low altitude spewing bursts of fire. In fact, it is molten metal, the TV channel reports.
The red-hot mixture of aluminum powder and iron oxide, called thermite, burns at temperatures of up to 2,200 degrees Celsius and can quickly scorch trees and vegetation and, if not kill, incapacitate enemy troops.
“Attack drones are our wings of retaliation, bringing fire straight from the sky! They become a real threat to the enemy, burning their positions with a precision that no other weapon can achieve,” Ukraine’s 60th Mechanized Brigade said in a post on social media.
Instilling this kind of fear is probably the main effect of Ukraine’s termite drones, says a defence industry analyst specialising in ground warfare and a former British army officer. Nicolas Drummond.
“Use a drone to deliver it (termites. – EADaily) is quite innovative. But when used in this way, its effect will be more psychological than physical. I understand that Ukraine has limited capabilities to produce the thermite effect, so this is a niche opportunity, not a new mass-produced weapon.” Drummond told CNN.
However, he recognizes the horror that termites can cause.
Thermite can easily burn almost anything, including metal, the television channel notes.
“It was discovered by a German chemist in the 1890s and was originally used to weld railway tracks together. But its military power soon became apparent when the Germans dropped it from aircraft as bombs over Britain during World War I… Both Germany and the Allies used thermite bombs during World War II, and they used them as well,” CNN notes.
