Weaponry

Ukraine’s Fire Breathing Dragon is Put to Work

The Baba Yaga drone was already striking fear into the Russian troops, and now Dracarys is in their nightmares

Results of a Dracarys drone attack. Image: Twitter video screenshot

It has been a terrible week in Ukraine as Russia has ramped up its genocidal attacks with daily and nightly missile attacks on Lviv and Kyiv together with the remorseless shelling of Sumy and other cities. All pretence about hitting military targets has been dropped, yet still the West refuses to allow Ukraine to hit back with long range weapons to ‘take out the archer, not the arrows’ — the bombers and their bases.

But it has also been a week in which we’ve seen deployment of another innovative weapon from Ukraine, a weapon that is said to be terrorising Russian troops.

It has been called variously the Dragon and Dragon’s Breath, given the name Dracarys.

Dracarys

Dracarys is a drone which carries a thermite payload which, when ignited literally rains fire on the ground below. It is not a napalm payload, it does not spread and flow. It drips fire from the drone.

This is what I have found out about the payload:

“Thermite mixture — 500–530g.

Aluminum pipe, circuit board, ignition — 200g.

Total weight 700 — reactions 3–4 seconds.

Active combustion time is about 2 minutes. After this, the molten metal continues to work.

Combustion temperature — up to 2500°C

For setting fire to joint ventures, dugouts, armored vehicles, and automotive equipment. If it hits a horizontal part of a lightly armored vehicle, it can burn through it. Works more reliably when dropped from low altitudes.

Cost 450 UAH/piece about 12 USD

Store in a dry place at room temperature” — Twitter

That combustion temperature of 2500⁰C is more than twice that of napalm, 1200⁰C .

Twitter, ibid.

These drones are in use by several Ukrainian units.

Impact

Besides the obvious fire effects, the damage to morale is important.

Telegram

The laws of war

The laws of war are a joke when it comes to Russia’s behaviour in Ukraine. Ukraine has sought to hold the moral high ground and adhered to those laws, most commonly referred to as the Geneva Convention and its Protocols. Incendiary substances, such as napalm, are highly controversial due to their ability to cause severe burns and destruction. The Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby-traps, and Other Devices, adopted in 1980, prohibits the use of incendiary weapons against civilians.

So, Ukraine is well within the law using it against troops.

Meanwhile, Russia uses chemical agents against Ukraine, including chloropicrin.

Twitter

Return to base?

I have not been able to establish whether the drones used are able to return to base after use. Can they damaged by the burning payload? Obviously, flight duration will be an issue, but payload weight at 700 grams is much less than that of a small mortar bomb.

Conclusion

This is clearly a terrifying weapon. Being burnt alive is one of man’s most primal fears. People will jump from buildings rather than burn. Yes, the forestry and vehicles will burn, but this weapon is unlike napalm in that it does not flow in a gel form. It’s unlikely that soldiers in underground shelters will be harmed, but they will be few and far between.

As we have seen from the videos, the treelines and forestry are being used as cover, but that will not stop Dracarys.

So, why doesn’t Ukraine use napalm?

I guess that the answer to that is weight. Effective quantities of napalm would need vulnerable aircraft to deliver the canisters, usually from low altitude. Dracarys offers precision but its effectiveness out in the open will be limited.

On the downside I would expect to see similarly armed Russian drones within perhaps 10–12 weeks if they can source the electronics for the ignition circuits.

Video here at my website (I cannot post videos directly on Medium), click image or at the Twitter link. Sorry about the soundtrack.

I hope that Ukraine continues to terrorise the Russian forces.

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