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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

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