ukraine's modified drone turns into a "flamethrower"
2024-09-07
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reference news reported on september 7according to a report on the u.s. news weekly website on september 3, the ukrainian military has begun deploying drones equipped with thermite incendiary bombs (referred to as "thermite bombs"), effectively transforming lethal drone swarms into powerful "flamethrower" weapons.
video footage forwarded by ukraine's 108th independent homeland defense brigade showed the drones dropping thermite bombs over enemy positions, causing a large amount of smoke to billow from the dropping area.
the viral video highlights the destructive power of these modified drones, as thermite ignites on contact, creating an inferno that can devastate russian positions. thermite is still less lethal than white phosphorus or napalm.
multiple ukrainian social media accounts said that the fighting scenes were filmed in the eastern region of donetsk, and that the russian army was concentrating its forces on advancing towards the city of pokrovsk (an important logistical hub for the ukrainian army).
although the specific model of the drone is still unclear, military bloggers believe that the footage taken from the drone's perspective shows that it is a larger fpv (first-person view) drone.
thermite is a mixture of metal powders and metal oxides that, when ignited, can reach temperatures high enough to melt steel.
osint technical, an open source intelligence account on the social platform x, forwarded the video and said, "in eastern ukraine, a ukrainian drone dropped a thermite bomb on the russian-controlled tree line, igniting a raging fire."
the tactic is seen as a major advance in the use of drones in the russia-ukraine conflict, allowing kiev to strike russian positions, particularly in densely forested areas in the east where russian troops often set up bunkers.
some experts point out that thermite bombs have become a favored weapon among ukrainian drone operators, especially for destroying abandoned russian vehicles.
as an incendiary weapon, thermite is limited by its small range. unlike other incendiary bombs that burn instantly, the chemical reaction of thermite requires a relatively long time to heat a small area to a high temperature.
the "flamethrower" drone sprays molten iron from the thermite reaction as it flies, creating a fiery rain. soldiers hiding in bunkers or wearing helmets and body armor are usually safe if they don't look up, but the main danger comes from fire.
thermite ignites flammable materials, especially in dry conditions, causing small fires to spread into larger blazes. these fires and the resulting smoke can force troops to abandon their positions.
the high temperatures and difficult-to-extinguish fires caused by the substance have raised concerns about possible civilian casualties.
large swathes of open land in ukraine are often broken up by narrow tree lines that serve as key defensive positions. in a conflict that is constantly monitored by drones, these tree lines have provided vital cover, and russian forces have fortified their forward defenses along these natural barriers.
drones that drop thermite bombs have proven to be effective militarily, but such incendiary weapons pose a huge risk if deployed near civilian areas.
