Ukraine�s �dragon drones� rain molten metal on Russian positions in latest
terrifying battlefield innovation

By Brad Lendon, Isaac Yee and Kosta Gak, CNN
5 minute read
Published 12:01 AM EDT, Sat September 7, 2024
A Ukrainian incendiary drone drops on Russian positions in the Kharkiv
area.
Khorne Group/Telegram
CNN �

https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/07/europe/ukraine-thermite-dragon-drones-intl-
hnk-ml/index.html

Ukraine appears to be calling on a fleet of fire-spewing �dragon drones� in
its war with Russian invaders, putting a modern twist on a munition used to
horrific effect in both world wars.

A series of videos posted on social media, including on Telegram from the
Ukrainian Defense Ministry on Wednesday, show the low-flying drones
dropping torrents of fire � actually molten metal � onto Russian-held
positions in tree lines.

The white-hot mixture of aluminum powder and iron oxide, called thermite,
burns at temperatures up to 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,200 degrees
Celsius). It can quickly burn off trees and vegetation giving cover to
Russian troops, if not killing or disabling the troops outright.

As it falls from the drone, the thermite resembles the fire coming from the
mouth of the mythical dragon, giving the drones their nickname.

�Strike Drones are our wings of vengeance, bringing fire straight from the
sky!� a social media post from Ukraine�s 60th Mechanized Brigade said.

�They become a real threat to the enemy, burning his positions with an
accuracy that no other weapon can achieve,� the post continued.

�When our �Vidar� works � the Russian woman will never sleep,� it added.
Vidar is the Norse god of vengeance.
A Ukrainian drone drops an incendiary payload on Russian positions near
Kharkiv. Khorne Group via Telegram

Creating that kind of fear is likely the main effect of Ukraine�s thermite
drones, according to Nicholas Drummond, a defense industry analyst
specializing in land warfare and a former British Army officer.

�It is very nasty stuff. Using a drone to deliver it is quite innovative.
But used in that way its effect will have been psychological more than
physical,� Drummond told CNN.

�I understand that Ukraine only possesses a limited capacity to deliver a
thermite effect, so this is a niche capability rather than new mainstream
weapon,� he said.

But he acknowledges the terror thermite can create.

�I would not have liked to have been on the receiving end,� Drummond said.
Incendiary weapons in war

Thermite can easily burn through almost anything, including metal, so
there�s little protection from it.

It was discovered by a German chemist is the 1890s and was originally used
to weld railroad tracks.

But its military potency soon became apparent, with the Germans dropping it
from zeppelins as bombs over Britain in World War I, according to a history
from McGill University in Montreal.

Both Germany and the Allies used thermite aerial bombs in World War II, and
they also utilized it to disable captured artillery pieces, putting
thermite into the breech and melting the weapon shut from the inside.
A Ukrainian drone drops an incendiary believed to be molten metal thermite
on Russian positions near Kharkiv Khorne Group via Telegram

According to Action on Armed Violence (AOAV), a British anti-war advocacy
group, Ukraine has previously used thermite dropped from drones to
permanently disable Russian tanks.

The thermite is dropped �directly through the hatches, where the intense
heat quickly ignites and destroys everything inside,� an AOAV report says.
Screenshot 2024-09-05 at 15.12.54.png

Related article Video footage appears to show Russians killing surrendering
Ukrainian soldiers

�This precision, combined with the drone�s ability to bypass traditional
defenses, makes thermite bombs a highly effective tool in modern warfare,�
it says.

Thermite is just one type of incendiary weapon, with others including
napalm and white phosphorus.

The United Nations Office for Disarmament says incendiary weapons can cause
massive destruction and environmental damage.

�The fires produced by the weapon itself or ignited by it are difficult to
predict and to contain. Therefore, incendiary weapons are often described
as �area weapons� due to their impact over a broad area,� it says on its
website.

The United States used napalm to burn much of Japan�s capital to the ground
in World War II�s infamous Tokyo fire raids. US forces also used it
extensively in Vietnam.

The US military has also used thermite in grenades, with the US Army�s Pine
Bluff Arsenal producing the weapons from the 1960s through 2014 and then
resuming production again in 2023.
What thermite does to humans

Under international law, thermite is not banned for military combat, but
its use on civilian targets is prohibited because of the horrible effects
it can have on the human body.

In a 2022 report on incendiary weapons, such as thermite, Human Rights
Watch called them �notorious for their horrific human cost,� including
inflicting fourth- or fifth-degree burns.

�They can cause damage to muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, blood
vessels, and even bones,� HRW said.

Treatment can last months and require daily attention. If victims survive,
they are left with physical and psychological scars, HRW said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine
in February 2022. Moscow�s initial push into Ukraine was stopped far short
of capturing the capital of Kyiv, and the sides have fought over much of
the same territory for most of the war.

Ukraine�s forces, outnumbered and outgunned by Russia, have proven adept at
innovating with small drones to hammer Moscow�s troops and equipment.

A Ukrainian incursion into Russian territory near Kursk in August surprised
Putin and has boosted Ukrainian confidence that it can prevail in the war.
Vegetations burns after a puported thermite drone attack near Kharkiv,
Ukraine. Khorne Group via Telegram

Kyiv has accused Russian forces of using unspecified incendiary munitions
on civilian targets earlier in the war, including on a village outside of
Kharkiv, Ukraine�s second-largest city, in May 2022.

CNN�s Nick Paton Walsh went through that village, Cherkaski Tyshky, shortly
after a Russian attack and described a scene of �homes, fields, even the
air itself, torched.�

Ukrainian officers also accused Russia of using incendiaries in attacks on
the city of Bakhmut last year.

Those uses of incendiaries haven�t led to quick victory for Russia, and
Drummond doesn�t think they are a battlefield game changer for Ukraine
either.

�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,�
Drummond said.

But thermite does give Russian troops another reason to be fearful of
Ukrainian drones, he said.

�We have seen instances where Russian forces attacked by multiple drones
have deserted their positions. The more Ukraine can instill a fear of
drones the better its chances of success,� he said.

�Thermite keeps up the pressure.�

Dragon Drones For Putin wrote:
> Ukraine’s ‘dragon drones’ rain molten metal on Russian positions in latest
> terrifying battlefield innovation
>
If Vance is such a loser then why did Trump choose him?

On Sat, 7 Sep 2024 19:08:23 -0500, Altered Beast <j63480576@gmail.com> wrote:

>Dragon Drones For Putin wrote:
>> Ukraine’s ‘dragon drones’ rain molten metal on Russian positions in latest
>> terrifying battlefield innovation
>>
>If Vance is such a loser then why did Trump choose him?

Eric and Don Jr thought it was a good idea and talked Big Daddy into it.

Conservative media loses it's mind over a taco joke.
<https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8PTyETqH8PM>

--
"In 2008, the eurozone and the US had equivalent gross domestic products (GDP) at current
prices of $14.2 trillion and $14.8 trillion respectively (€13.1 trillion and €13.6 trillion).
Fifteen years on, the eurozone's GDP is just over $15 trillion, while US GDP has soared to $26.9 trillion."
<https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2023/09/04/the-gdp-gap-between-europe-and-the-united-states-is-now-80_6123491_23.html>

Between 2008 and now, we've had 4 years of Republicans and 12 years of Democrats running the country.

You do the math.

#nevertrump

On 9/7/24 7:08 PM, Altered Beast wrote:
> Dragon Drones For Putin wrote:
>>   Ukraine’s ‘dragon drones’ rain molten metal on Russian positions in
>> latest
>> terrifying battlefield innovation
>>
> If Vance is such a loser then why did Trump choose him?

Uh, could it be Trump is a big fat loser too?

If you have a medical emergency, stop reading, log off, and dial 911!

>But thermite does give Russian troops another reason to be fearful of
>Ukrainian drones...

A 4th of July sparkler is an example of what is called "Thermite".
Dropping it starts fires, but that's about all.

On Sun, 08 Sep 2024 08:33:06 -0500, "X, formerly known as \"!Jones\"" <x@y.com>
wrote:

>If you have a medical emergency, stop reading, log off, and dial 911!
>
>>But thermite does give Russian troops another reason to be fearful of
>>Ukrainian drones...
>
>A 4th of July sparkler is an example of what is called "Thermite".
>Dropping it starts fires, but that's about all.

It burns at over 2500 C and the volume is MUCH more than a sparkler.

Dragon Drone in action.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUe7SJgVMmo>

Note they can be piloted in loops which make circles of fire burning inwards,
trapping soldier caught within the circle.

Democrat Ruben Gallego will be Arizona's next Senator. He leads Trumpling Kari
Lake by almost thirty points.

--
"In 2008, the eurozone and the US had equivalent gross domestic products (GDP) at current
prices of $14.2 trillion and $14.8 trillion respectively (€13.1 trillion and €13.6 trillion).
Fifteen years on, the eurozone's GDP is just over $15 trillion, while US GDP has soared to $26.9 trillion."
<https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2023/09/04/the-gdp-gap-between-europe-and-the-united-states-is-now-80_6123491_23.html>

Between 2008 and now, we've had 4 years of Republicans and 12 years of Democrats running the country.

You do the math.

#nevertrump

If you have a medical emergency, stop reading, log off, and dial 911!

>It burns at over 2500 C and the volume is MUCH more than a sparkler.

I think it can burn at 2,500 degrees *Fahrenheit*, which is just about
as high as atmospheric oxidation can go. To get much higher, it would
have to be oxygen injected.

Now, Google "sparklers", and see what you get; they're definitely in
that range. Metal finishing shops have to maintain specialized fire
suppression equipment because, if they're sanding t-6 aluminum alloy,
the dust can easily (well... possibly) ignite in the same reaction...
I once knew its name.

--

Uuuh, Dr. Google: can you tell us the name of that reaction, please?

<Dr. Google> Certainly, Dr. X, with T-6 dust, it would be called an
aluminothermic reaction; however, it is most frequently called a
"Goldschmidt reaction" after the chemist who first patented it. Other
metals besides aluminum alloyed with magnesium might also produce a
Goldschmidt reaction, BTW.

Thank you, Dr. Google. I knew you'd have the answer!

<Dr. Google> My pleasure, Dr. X. Let me know if I can be of any
further assistance.

On Sun, 08 Sep 2024 13:35:22 -0500, "X, formerly known as \"!Jones\"" <x@y.com>
wrote:

>If you have a medical emergency, stop reading, log off, and dial 911!
>
>>It burns at over 2500 C and the volume is MUCH more than a sparkler.
>
>I think it can burn at 2,500 degrees *Fahrenheit*, which is just about
>as high as atmospheric oxidation can go. To get much higher, it would
>have to be oxygen injected.

They may well be oxygen injected. The article doesn't say.

>Now, Google "sparklers", and see what you get; they're definitely in
>that range. Metal finishing shops have to maintain specialized fire
>suppression equipment because, if they're sanding t-6 aluminum alloy,
>the dust can easily (well... possibly) ignite in the same reaction...
>I once knew its name.

Sparklers are nothing like the massive volume used in thermite drones.

Drumpf is a cheat, just ask any lawyer or contractor he refused to pay. He
tried to stay in power after being voted out of office by the American people.

--
"Instead of building a wall or sending CBP agents to the border, why
doesn't the GOP send thoughts and prayers? It works so well for Mass
Shootings it should easily solve the border issue." - unknown

The non insurrection according to Tucker Carlson:
https://twitter.com/billmaher/status/1635677233787588609?lang=en

Not left, not right, https://www.forwardparty.com/

Heroyam slava! Glory to the Heroes!

Sláva Ukrajíni! Glory to Ukraine!

Putin tse prezervatyv! Putin is a condom!

Go here to donate to Ukrainian relief.
<https://www2.deloitte.com/ua/uk/pages/registration-forms/help-cities.html>

On 9/8/2024 4:04 AM, trotsky wrote:
> On 9/7/24 7:08 PM, Altered Beast wrote:
>> Dragon Drones For Putin wrote:
>>>   Ukraine’s ‘dragon drones’ rain molten metal on Russian positions in
>>> latest
>>> terrifying battlefield innovation
>>>
>> If Vance is such a loser then why did Trump choose him?
>
>
> Uh, could it be Trump is a big fat loser too?

Trump isn't even president again yet, but when he says jump, Kamala
drops her drawers and does what he says.

Leon Okmin wrote this copyrighted missive and expects royalties:

> On 9/8/2024 4:04 AM, trotsky wrote:
>> On 9/7/24 7:08 PM, Altered Beast wrote:
>>> Dragon Drones For Putin wrote:
>>>>   Ukraine’s ‘dragon drones’ rain molten metal on Russian positions in
>>>> latest
>>>> terrifying battlefield innovation
>>>>
>>> If Vance is such a loser then why did Trump choose him?
>>
>> Uh, could it be Trump is a big fat loser too?
>
> Trump isn't even president again yet, but when he says jump, Kamala
> drops her drawers and does what he says.

You hallucinatin'.

--
Women waste men's lives and think they have indemnified them by a few
gracious words.
-- Honor'e de Balzac

If you have a medical emergency, stop reading, log off, and dial 911!

>Sparklers are nothing like the massive volume used in thermite drones.

I'm saying that the thermite bombs were essentially big bundles of
sparklers. It burns hot, but its main use is starting fires. You
don't shoot a thermite round at a tank and burn through it.

Governor Swill wrote on 9/8/2024 4:26 PM:
> On Sun, 08 Sep 2024 13:35:22 -0500, "X, formerly known as \"!Jones\"" <x@y.com>
> wrote:
>
>> If you have a medical emergency, stop reading, log off, and dial 911!
>>
>>> It burns at over 2500 C and the volume is MUCH more than a sparkler.
>> I think it can burn at 2,500 degrees *Fahrenheit*, which is just about
>> as high as atmospheric oxidation can go. To get much higher, it would
>> have to be oxygen injected.
> They may well be oxygen injected. The article doesn't say.
>

1. Liquefied oxygen require massive steel tanks because it takes very
high pressure to liquefy oxygen. The drone won't have the lifting
capacity to carry the very heavy oxygen tank, you brainless idiot!!!

2. The oxygen-enhanced burning temperature occurs at point of ignition.
The drone cannot drop the powder from the air and then supply oxygen to
the ground where the burning occurs, you brainless idiot!!!

>Leon Okmin wrote this copyrighted missive and expects royalties:
>
>> On 9/8/2024 4:04 AM, trotsky wrote:
>>> On 9/7/24 7:08 PM, Altered Beast wrote:
>>>> Dragon Drones For Putin wrote:
>>>>> �� Ukraine� Ts � ~dragon drones� T rain molten metal on Russian
>>>>> positions in latest
>>>>> terrifying battlefield innovation
>>>>>
>>>> If Vance is such a loser then why did Trump choose him?
>>>
>>> Uh, could it be Trump is a big fat loser too?
>>
>> Trump isn't even president again yet, but when he says jump, Kamala
>> drops her drawers and does what he says.
>
>You hallucinatin'.
>

Trump has been practicing his blow job technique for when he's in prison
after he gets his ass kicked by Harris.

On Sun, 08 Sep 2024 20:34:30 -0500, "X, formerly known as \"!Jones\"" <x@y.com>
wrote:

>If you have a medical emergency, stop reading, log off, and dial 911!
>
>>Sparklers are nothing like the massive volume used in thermite drones.
>
>I'm saying that the thermite bombs were essentially big bundles of
>sparklers. It burns hot, but its main use is starting fires. You
>don't shoot a thermite round at a tank and burn through it.

Right. That's why the term "thermite drone" was specified as it isn't
artillery. It's also why I've posted clips of them in use. The so-called
'dragon drones' are intended for use against troop cover such as patches of
woods and wooden buildings they hide in.

The can fly in a circle and create a circle of fire in the woods that burns to
center. Anything inside the thermite ring is consumed by fire.

It's basically a new type of incendiary weapon.

Construction chaos
<https://www.youtube.com/shorts/03fCDOwhinY>

--
"Instead of building a wall or sending CBP agents to the border, why
doesn't the GOP send thoughts and prayers? It works so well for Mass
Shootings it should easily solve the border issue." - unknown

The non insurrection according to Tucker Carlson:
https://twitter.com/billmaher/status/1635677233787588609?lang=en

Not left, not right, https://www.forwardparty.com/

Heroyam slava! Glory to the Heroes!

Sláva Ukrajíni! Glory to Ukraine!

Putin tse prezervatyv! Putin is a condom!

Go here to donate to Ukrainian relief.
<https://www2.deloitte.com/ua/uk/pages/registration-forms/help-cities.html>

On Sun, 8 Sep 2024 22:13:41 -0400, ? Mighty Wannabe ? <@.> wrote:

>1. Liquefied oxygen require massive steel tanks because it takes very
>high pressure to liquefy oxygen. The drone won't have the lifting
>capacity to carry the very heavy oxygen tank, you brainless idiot!!!
>
>2. The oxygen-enhanced burning temperature occurs at point of ignition.
>The drone cannot drop the powder from the air and then supply oxygen to
>the ground where the burning occurs, you brainless idiot!!!

You're just as ignorant as you were two years ago when you bragged the Russians
had it in the bag. When you predicted they would use nukes if the west got to
involved. When you claimed, falsely, as it turned out, that the Patriot system
couldn't bring down Russians so-called ultra fast missiles. You were wrong
about everything you posted then which makes it highly likely that you're wrong
about this post as well.

1) FPVs are powerful enough to handle hundred pound bombs.

2) A small oxygen tank, enough to light off a stream of thermite particles can
weigh as little as ten pounds as you might know had you ever seen a retiree in
Florida carrying oxygen.

3) And if you had watched any of the many videos provided, you would have seen
that combustion begins immediately outside the drone and that what is rained
down is not metal particles that combust on the ground, but a stream of fire
from the sky.

4) You're just as big a fool as you were last year and the year before. You
haven't learned a thing.

5) Welcome to Plonksville, population: stupid.

So the road rager jumps out of his car and tries to attack the driver behind
him. That was a mistake.
<https://www.youtube.com/shorts/elcNeHgMUDs>

--
"Instead of building a wall or sending CBP agents to the border, why
doesn't the GOP send thoughts and prayers? It works so well for Mass
Shootings it should easily solve the border issue." - unknown

The non insurrection according to Tucker Carlson:
https://twitter.com/billmaher/status/1635677233787588609?lang=en

Not left, not right, https://www.forwardparty.com/

Heroyam slava! Glory to the Heroes!

Sláva Ukrajíni! Glory to Ukraine!

Putin tse prezervatyv! Putin is a condom!

Go here to donate to Ukrainian relief.
<https://www2.deloitte.com/ua/uk/pages/registration-forms/help-cities.html>

In article <vbhjra$1cosn$1@dont-email.me>, X@Y.com wrote:

> Ukraine�s �dragon drones� rain molten metal on Russian positions in latest
> terrifying battlefield innovation
>
>By Brad Lendon, Isaac Yee and Kosta Gak, CNN

Fake news.

--
Let's go Brandon!

On Tue, 10 Sep 2024 15:13:07 -0400, Ubiquitous <weberm@polaris.net> wrote:

>In article <vbhjra$1cosn$1@dont-email.me>, X@Y.com wrote:
>
>> Ukraine’s ‘dragon drones’ rain molten metal on Russian positions in latest
>> terrifying battlefield innovation
>>
>>By Brad Lendon, Isaac Yee and Kosta Gak, CNN
>
>Fake news.

Would you like to see pictures of this weapon in action?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAfJm4GgiI8

--
If Harris is guilty of word salad, Trump is serving word sewer.

#nevertrump

X, formerly known as "!Jones" wrote:
> If you have a medical emergency, stop reading, log off, and dial 911!
>
>> It burns at over 2500 C and the volume is MUCH more than a sparkler.
>
> I think it can burn at 2,500 degrees *Fahrenheit*, which is just about

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermite

In a thermochemical survey comprising
twenty-five metals and thirty-two metal
oxides, 288 out of 800 binary combinations
were characterized by adiabatic temperatures
greater than 2000 K.

Oxygen balanced iron thermite 2Al + Fe2O3
has theoretical maximum density of 4.175
g/cm3 an adiabatic burn temperature of 3135 K
or 2862 °C or 5183 °F

> as high as atmospheric oxidation can go. To get much higher, it would
> have to be oxygen injected.
>
> Now, Google "sparklers", and see what you get; they're definitely in
> that range. Metal finishing shops have to maintain specialized fire
> suppression equipment because, if they're sanding t-6 aluminum alloy,
> the dust can easily (well... possibly) ignite in the same reaction...
> I once knew its name.

Watch the videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUe7SJgVMmo

https://arstechnica.com/culture/2024/09/ukrainian-drones-now-spray-2500-c-thermite-streams-right-into-russian-trenches/

Still think those are sparklers???

X, formerly known as "!Jones" wrote:
> If you have a medical emergency, stop reading, log off, and dial 911!
>
>> Sparklers are nothing like the massive volume used in thermite drones.
>
> I'm saying that the thermite bombs were essentially big bundles of
> sparklers. It burns hot, but its main use is starting fires. You
> don't shoot a thermite round at a tank and burn through it.
>

You can say that all you want and you're wrong.

Watch the videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUe7SJgVMmo

https://arstechnica.com/culture/2024/09/ukrainian-drones-now-spray-2500-c-thermite-streams-right-into-russian-trenches/

Still think those are sparklers???

Ubiquitous wrote:
> In article <vbhjra$1cosn$1@dont-email.me>, X@Y.com wrote:
>
>> Ukraine’s ‘dragon drones’ rain molten metal on Russian positions in latest
>> terrifying battlefield innovation
>>
>> By Brad Lendon, Isaac Yee and Kosta Gak, CNN
>
> Fake news.

Prove it

Watch the videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUe7SJgVMmo

https://arstechnica.com/culture/2024/09/ukrainian-drones-now-spray-2500-c-thermite-streams-right-into-russian-trenches/

--
Let's go Don!