Soldiers of the 108th Territorial Defense Brigade used an FPV drone with incendiary mixture to burn down a forest belt in the “gray zone” in Zaporizhzhia. The video of the attack was posted online.
The No Chance Сompany of Strike Drones used a drone with an unusual warhead to burn down a position in a forest belt located on the front line.
The large number of sparks and white smoke suggest that the warhead was filled with thermite, a mixture of metal powders that produces high temperatures when burned. Most likely, the operators used thermite, which consists of easily accessible components: powders of oxidized iron and aluminum.
The combustion temperature of such ammunition can reach 2400 degrees celsius, which is why it is used in industry to weld metal structures, including rails. This is enough to set fire not only to dry grass, but also to trees and other vegetation.
The weight of the warhead used is unknown, but it could have been more than a few kilograms. This is possible, given that the most powerful 13-inch FPV drones can carry up to 8 kilograms of payload over a distance of up to 5 kilometers.
This is the first time thermite has been used in this way. However, the Ukrainian military has long been using thermite charges in the form of free-fall ammunition.
UAV operators use thermite to drop from drones into the hatches of abandoned enemy armored vehicles and onto the roofs of buildings where enemy fighters are located. In addition, the termite can also burn through the steel hull of lightly armored vehicles and easily melt the aluminum armor of vehicles such as BMD-4 and BMP-3.
Typically, such munitions are made in the form of charges weighing up to 1 kilogram in a square-shaped metal case that prevents possible rolling when dropped.
Ukrainian thermite ammunition is adapted for dropping from a drone
It was reported that the cost of such ammunition ranged from UAH 450 or $12. Its design is extremely simple and its components are affordable.
As a reminder, the Ukrainian military recently used a 155mm artillery round as a charge for a ground-based kamikaze drone.
Sources: Militarnyi;