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You do not want to be underneath one of Ukraine’s new “dragon drones” when they start raining molten metal all over you. It’s not just any molten metal either. The mixture of aluminum powder and iron oxide is called “thermite.” It burns white-hot “at temperatures up to 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit.” Russian solders hiding in some trees found out about it the hard way. The stuff is insane.
Fire-spewing dragon drones
Ukraine calls their new unmanned fleet of airborne death “dragon drones.” The name’s appropriate. The flaming rain of brutal agony they dispense is a “modern twist on a munition used to horrific effect in both world wars.”
A series of videos were posted on Wednesday, September 4, by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. They show the UAV cruising low and slow while “dropping torrents of fire – actually molten metal – onto Russian-held positions in tree lines.”
As can be clearly seen in the videos, contact with nearly anything causes it to burst into flames. “It can quickly burn off trees and vegetation giving cover to Russian troops, if not killing or disabling the troops outright.”
They gave the drones their nickname because “the thermite resembles the fire coming from the mouth of the mythical dragon.” They’re just as nasty as the real thing, too.
A social media post from Ukraine’s 60th Mechanized Brigade brags “strike Drones are our wings of vengeance, bringing fire straight from the sky!” They’re a blast to use but you definitely don’t want them used on you.
“They become a real threat to the enemy, burning his positions with an accuracy that no other weapon can achieve.” Those fires won’t go out until they burn out.
Fear and vengeance in Russia
“When our ‘Vidar‘ works – the Russian woman will never sleep,” the post declares. It helps to know that “Vidar is the Norse god of vengeance.” Defense industry analyst Nicholas Drummond notes it appears that the designers had an ulterior motive.
Creating “fear is likely the main effect of Ukraine’s thermite drones.” According to the land warfare specialist and former British Army officer, “it is very nasty stuff.”
He’s impressed with the use of technology. Using drones “to deliver it is quite innovative.” It gives them bonus points. “Used in that way its effect will have been psychological more than physical.” It’s not hard to make.
Even so, the expert hears “that Ukraine only possesses a limited capacity to deliver a thermite effect, so this is a niche capability rather than new mainstream weapon.” That’s a good thing.
“I would not have liked to have been on the receiving end,” he declared. “Thermite can easily burn through almost anything, including metal, so there’s little protection from it.” The combination was originally figured out by “a German chemist in the 1890s and was originally used to weld railroad tracks.” Mounting it on drones embraces the latest technology but it’s not a new idea.
“Its military potency soon became apparent, with the Germans dropping it from zeppelins as bombs over Britain in World War I.” In WWII they learned “putting thermite into the breech” of captured artillery pieces will melt “the weapon shut from the inside.“
