Wednesday, September 4, 2024. Several videos are published on social networks showing drones flying at low altitude and releasing torrents of fire on positions held by Vladimir Putin’s men, at the tree line. It looks like a new video game, but these images are very real: the Ukrainian army is now using a new incendiary weapon that transforms its drones into flamethrowers. Faced with Russian soldiers, these fire-breathers are mainly used to set ablaze military equipment hidden under the vegetation.
“We are against anyone releasing our new technology on video on the Internet. But it has already been done, so here are our videos of the burning of an Orc [NDLR : surnom donné aux soldats russes par l’armée ukrainienne] by termite ammunition. Don’t thank us,” he revealed on Telegramthe Khorne Group, the drone unit of the 60th Mechanized Brigade. These military personnel describe the “Dragon drones” as “wings of vengeance bringing fire straight from the sky”.
What makes these next-generation weapons so powerful is thermite, a mixture of aluminum powder and iron oxide. It burns at temperatures of up to 2,200 degrees and causes a localized fire. Unlike conventional explosives that rely on a blast effect, thermite generates intense heat capable of melting steel, making it an ideal choice for neutralizing equipment, vehicles and bunkers.
It is worth noting that nothing can extinguish the fire, as thermite burns underwater and can destroy even metal. When it falls from the drone, it resembles the fire coming out of the mouth of the mythical dragon – hence the nickname chosen by the Ukrainians. Its military use dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, and thermite is widely available in the arsenals of the countries of the former communist bloc. But its use by drone is unprecedented.
A DIY incendiary weapon
The “Dragon drone” is born from a simple DIY: it is enough to place the thermite ammunition under the structure of the quadcopter drone with a firing mechanism. “About 500 grams of thermite mixture can be placed under a standard FPV drone. The chemical reaction is triggered by remote control shortly before the target appears in the area,” specifies the English-language daily, The Indian Express. Its ease of manufacture suggests that the Russians could quickly copy this weapon. CNNNicholas Drummond, a defense industry analyst specializing in land warfare and a former British Army officer, explains that “scaremongering is probably the main effect of the Ukrainian thermite drones.”
The American channel recalls that thermite was discovered by a German chemist in the 1890s and was originally used to weld railway tracks. Then its military power became evident, the Germans dropped it from zeppelins – a type of airship – to bomb Great Britain during the First World War. According to Action on Armed Violence (AOAV), According to a British war advocacy group, Ukraine has already used thermite from drones to permanently disable Russian tanks. It is dropped “directly through the hatches, where the intense heat quickly ignites and destroys everything inside,” an AOAV report says.
Devastating effects
The NGO is concerned, however, about the potential deployment of these weapons in densely populated areas, “posing serious risks to the safety of civilians”. Under international law, the use of anti-personnel incendiary weapons is prohibited unless it is not possible to use a less harmful weapon to incapacitate a person – due to injury or damage.
On the Russian side, the Russian Telegram channel “Voenny Osvedomitel” (“military informant”) confirms the devastating effects of thermite in a publication dated September 4, 2024. Our colleagues from World translated the message: “The use by the FAU [NLDR : l’armée ukrainienne] of thermite drones for burning vegetation has taken on a massive character and its production is industrial […]. Unfortunately, due to the wait-and-see attitude of the FAFR [l’armée russe]we will not only have to make our own analogue drones, but also find countermeasures.” The drone war is still far from over.