Ukraine’s use of “dragon drones” to drop fire on the battlefield is likely intended to strike fear in the hearts of Russian soldiers, military experts said.
Last week, Ukrainian military sources shared spectacular videos that appeared to show low-flying drones showering treelines in flames as they passed.
The molten material has been identified as thermite, a mixture of aluminum powder and iron oxide that, when ignited, burns at temperatures of up to around 4,000 degrees — almost half as hot as the sun’s surface.
Thermite has been in military use for as long as aerial warfare has existed, James Patton Rogers, a drone expert and executive director of the Cornell Brooks Tech Policy Institute, told Business Insider.
But deploying it via drones appears to be a newer tactic, he said.
“The use of drones to deploy this molten payload is a novel, and fearsome, addition to modern warfare,” Patton Rogers said.
The Khorne Group, an offshoot of Ukraine’s 116th Mechanized Brigade, said in one of its videos that they were “orc burning,” using Ukrainian slang for Russian attackers.
“It’s difficult to hide from thermite,” Patton Rogers said.
He added that the videos are likely to be a morale boost for Ukrainians, and the tactic can force a retreat — driving back Russians “through fear and fire.”
“The ubiquitous use of drones in the skies above the battlefield are terrifying enough, but those below now have to contend with the quite literal threat of molten metal and fire raining down from above,” Patton Rogers said.
Little is publicly known about the operational goals of the attacks seen in the fiery drone videos, which have been reported as taking place in both southeastern and eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine has also recently been documented dropping thermite munitions into tank hatches, causing devastation within.
The use of thermite has alarmed some onlookers, such as the human rights advocacy group Action on Armed Violence.
Last week, the group wrote of its concerns that its usage could spread to civilian areas.
The pinpoint accuracy of drones combined with the indiscriminate and easily spread thermite flames are a devastating combination, the group wrote.
“The result could be catastrophic, with horrific injuries and loss of life among civilians,” said Iain Overton, the group’s executive director, in the article.
Thermite isn’t banned for use against enemy troops — but “there are clear protocols stopping their use on civilian targets,” Patton Rogers said.
In May 2022, Ukraine accused Russia of using thermite-laced shells to attack the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol during Ukraine’s famed defense of the facility.
The psychological impact of these latest strikes is likely the principal operational goal, Patton Rogers said.
“The actual strategic impact of the ‘dragons’ will be minimal,” he said, with Ukraine having a limited amount of these systems.
And Russia can always answer like for like, he added.
Nicholas Drummond, a defense industry analyst specializing in land warfare, gave CNN a similar assessment this week, saying that the thermite drops alone aren’t game-changers.
“If Ukraine wants to achieve real impact, it needs sufficient mass to force a proper breakthrough as it has in Kursk. This is what victory looks like,” he said.
“The effect of this tactic will have been psychological more than physical.”
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