Sign In
Learn bits
World Affairs
Mahesh

14/10/24 10:12 AM IST

Dragon drones

In News
  • A deadly new weapon has taken to the skies in the Russia-Ukraine war.
  • Both sides have posted visuals of drones appearing to rain down fire — earning this weapon the moniker of “dragon drone”.
About Dragon Dorne
  • Dragon drones essentially release a substance called thermite — a mixture of aluminium and iron oxide — developed a century ago to weld railroad tracks.
  • When ignited (usually with the help of an electrical fuse), thermite triggers a self-sustaining reaction that is quite difficult to extinguish.
  • It can burn through almost anything, from clothes to trees to military-grade vehicles, and can even burn underwater.
  • On humans, it causes severe, possibly fatal, burns and bone damage.
  • Combining thermite with high-precision drones that can bypass traditional defences makes dragon drones ‘highly effective’ and ‘dangerous.
Use of thermite
  • Thermite was used in both world wars. During World War I, German zeppelins dropped thermite-laden bombs which were considered an innovation at the time.
  • By World War II, thermite-laden high incendiary explosives became a part and parcel of both the Allies and Axis forces’ aerial bombing campaigns.
  • According to some estimates, the Allies dropped some 30 million 4-pound thermite bombs on Germany and another 10 million on Japan during World War II.
  • Thermite hand grenades were also used during the war to disable artillery pieces, without an explosion.
  • In modern conflict, thermite is most often used by espionage agents, or special operations teams due to its ability to burn intensely but without a bang.
  • The use of thermite in war is not prohibited under international law.
  • However, the use of such incendiary weapons against civilian targets is barred under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons — Cold War-era guidance issued under the auspices of the United Nations.
Source- Indian Express

More Related Current Affairs View All

14 Nov

India’s tea, sugar exports raise sustainability concerns at home

'India is one of the world’s largest agricultural product exporters.' The Indian agricultural export is valued at $53.1 billion in 2022-2023, up from $8.7 billion in 2004-

Read More

14 Nov

Superbugs and the looming public health crisis

'LESS than a hundred years ago, antibiotics ushered in an era that transformed medical care.' It saved millions of lives and accelerated the development and use of complex surge

Read More

13 Nov

Healthy longevity initiative

'The World Bank report proposes a healthy longevity initiative (HLI) which takes a life course approach.' Briefly, healthy longevity entails sharply reducing avoidable death and

Read More

India’s First Ai-Driven Magazine Generator

Generate Your Custom Current Affairs Magazine using our AI in just 3 steps