Ukrainian forces innovate: Introducing the formidable 'dragon drone'
Drones have been critical elements accompanying the war in Ukraine since its beginning. This threat is capable of taking out even heavily armoured vehicles. Ukrainians have now come up with an idea to enhance the capabilities of these drones. They showcased the "dragon drone" in a video.
Both sides of the conflict use drones – both Ukrainians and Russians. Multiple recordings from the front have shown kamikaze drones crashing into tanks and artillery with great force, destroying them. These small devices can also carry various payloads, such as grenade launcher rounds, which are remotely dropped on enemy positions.
New use of drones. Flying flamethrower
Soldiers serving in the 108th Independent Territorial Defence Brigade "No Chance" of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have found another use for drones that had not been seen before in the Ukraine conflict. They have converted a drone into a flying flamethrower. Its use causes "Russia to panic," wrote Ukrainian journalist Andrij Tsapilienko, a war correspondent for TSN.
The operation of this new construct was captured on video. It shows a drone hovering over a small forest and "drenching" hidden enemies with a stream of fire from above. The Ukrainians have not disclosed the specific mixture used to spray the flames nor whether the construct has additional elements to accelerate the "fire strike."
The effectiveness of this type of tool in combat is also unknown. However, the recording suggests that the "dragon drone" may force enemy units to retreat from their positions. Simultaneously, the flames sprayed by the drone can destroy equipment—including, among other things, small arms, ammunition, and lightly armoured vehicles, which can be negatively affected by high temperatures (e.g., damage to fuel lines, brake lines, etc.).
Ukrainian drone experiments
In light of the appearance at the front of an entirely new weapon, the fire-spouting drone, it is worth noting that Ukrainians have previously experimented with drones enhanced with additional tools. Several times, photos have appeared in the media showing a drone operated using a first-person view (FPV) camera with a katana attached. This solution is intended to strike Russians with a sharp tool.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces also enhance their kamikaze drones. In recent months, they have often solved the problem of having a single charge carried by a kamikaze drone insufficient to destroy heavily armoured enemy equipment. Commonly used are submunitions from cluster munitions or PG-7VL grenades from RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade launchers. The latter can penetrate armour up to 50 centimetres thick but are insufficient against thicker armour.
The problem was solved using grenades with tandem warheads containing two shaped charges. The presence of fire-spouting drones at the front, on the other hand, confirms the thesis that drones are currently one of the most important tools in combat, and improving them allows achieving superiority.
