Thermite-dropping drones, nicknamed Dragon’s Breath, are quickly growing from obscure weapons to mythical status in Ukraine. Groups of these modern iterations of the mythical beasts are out in full force.
Video of these drones started surfacing online in September. As is often the case with mythical beasts, though, reports of their existence did predate reports of their first confirmed sightings.
Since September 2024, there has been a deluge of documented dragon dealings. Initially, Ukraine used the drones to burn out tree lines and trenches where Russian soldiers were taking up positions.
There is not a lot of defense against liquid fire raining from above, as video after video posted online proves.
The breath in Dragon’s Breath is thermite, a mixture of metal powder and rust that, when ignited, burns at around 4,500 degrees Fahrenheit. That is twice as hot as magma and hot enough to burn through almost anything it touches, including armor, like the kind found on Russian tanks.
In a video recently posted from Ukraine’s 30th Mechanized Brigade, a Dragon’s Breath is shown being used against a Russian tank. The tank was immobilized after it ran over a mine. After a quick thermite shower from the Dragon’s Breath, the Russian tank is destroyed in a ball of fire and melting metal.
Russian military bloggers, which continue to be more reliable than the Kremlin in terms of battlefield reports, are reporting that Russian troops on the ground are getting very little guidance about how to deal with the new Ukrainian weapon. Most of the feedback, reportedly, involves soldiers just digging deeper trenches and having plenty of sand and water on hand to put out fires.
About the only defense against burning thermite is putting a decent layer of fireproof brick or concrete between yourself and the material.
In another video posted to Ukrainian social media channels, a small FPV-style drone equipped with thermite is seen flying inside a concrete-enclosed position known as a pillbox. Once the drone dropped its thermite payload inside the bunker, the concrete walls essentially created an oven, cooking off whatever ammo and equipment was within.
As with other drone innovations pioneered in Ukraine, Russia is also trying to field its own versions of Dragon’s Breath.
In a separate video released by a Russian unit trying to develop the concept for the Kremlin, an aerial drone can be observed flying over trees and putting out a shower of sparks below. However, the Russian version doesn’t have the same sort of effect on the target as Ukraine’s dragons do.
