Thermite Rain: Ukrainians Destroy Russian Equipment With Fire Drones

The unique weapon finishes off disabled enemy vehicles.

The war in Ukraine has become the impetus for the creation of unique drones, including fire drones. Ukrainian operators use these “birds” to burn Russian equipment with crews, writes Business Insider.

The combat footage shows a small Ukrainian drone slowly creeping up on a Russian tank, waiting for the moment to strike. The drone lands on the armor, releases clouds of smoke, and then fire breaks out. A moment later, the tank is engulfed in flames.

This tactic demonstrates how the Ukrainian military finishes off disabled enemy vehicles using drones with incendiary munitions attached.

Vladimir, a representative of the Ukrainian company that produces such munitions, explains: “This is necessary to set fire to damaged equipment so that the enemy cannot repair it.” The company produces ammunition that disperses molten thermite, a metal alloy that burns at temperatures over 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has lost more than 11,000 armored vehicles. Some have been destroyed, others are only damaged, and the occupiers are trying to evacuate them. Thermite is used to make recovery impossible.

The ammunition can be attached to a drone, which drops the thermite on the vehicle or lands on it, dispersing the flammable substance. According to Vladimir, this method allows for the effective destruction of both armored vehicles and fortifications.

At first, the company produced smoke bombs for the safe evacuation of the wounded and for training, but later switched to making incendiary ammunition. Russian armored vehicles are usually protected from debris, but this protection makes them vulnerable to thermite attacks. “It helps against debris, but everything burns very well,” says Vladimir.

Thermite ammunition weighing from 500 g to 2.5 kg costs 20-30 euros. The company produces up to 20,000 units monthly and promptly delivers them to the front. “For little money, a soldier gets an effective tool for destroying enemy equipment,” adds Vladimir.

These ammunition are used not only against armored vehicles. There are cases of drones scattering thermite over forest belts, probably destroying hidden Russian positions. The burning thermite rain was called “Golden Rain”, and the ammunition itself — “Dracaris”.

The tactics of using drones with thermite ammunition is just one of many innovative methods that Ukraine is using in the war. Drones of different types have become a key element of this war: some attack enemy positions, others explode when they collide with equipment, and some even function as "motherboards", releasing other drones.

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