While Western media outlets claim that the Ukrainian so-called “dragon drones” are using a mixture of aluminum powder and iron oxide, also known as thermite, Russian military analyst Alexei Leonkov suggests that the drones likely carry “pyrogel mixtures” that are more effective than the powder mixtures.
“Usually, these kind of mixtures were used during combat in woodlands to start multiple fires and smoke out guerrillas,” Leonkov, who is also editor of Arsenal Otechestva (Arsenal of the Fatherland) magazine, tells Sputnik. “The Americans, for example, used them in Vietnam, and they were also used in other wars.”
The “dragon drones” are essentially being used as airborne flamethrowers, he explains: upon reaching the target, the drone flies low while dispersing the incendiary mixture that works like napalm.
Regarding the effectiveness of these drones, Leonkov argues that the precision and reliability are rather questionable, not to mention that Russian air defenses won’t be sitting idly and just watch these drones fly around.
When asked about the apparent similarity of this new Ukrainian tactic and the use of incendiary weapons by Germany during WWI and by the Nazis in WWII, Leonkov remarks that certain tactics change little over time.
“There is also the matter of indiscriminate use of incendiary mixture or napalm,” he adds. “The Americans became the first after the Nazis to use incendiary mixtures en masse. In Vietnam they used napalm to torch villages and the surrounding forests and fields… And who trains Ukrainians? Americans. So it’s no surprise.”