Dragon Drone: Ukraine’s ‘Flying Flamethrower’ Attacks at 4,000 Degrees

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Key Points: The Ukrainian “Dragon Drone,” an unmanned flamethrower that spews thermite at 4,000°F, has raised significant ethical concerns. This brutal weapon, showcased in Ukrainian Defense Ministry videos, targets Russian trenches with devastating effects, evoking imagery of past wars’ napalm horrors.

-While effective, experts argue its psychological impact may outweigh physical destruction.

-Critics question the morality of such weapons, suggesting they blur the line between military necessity and atrocity.

-With escalating brutality on both sides, calls for a cease-fire and a Korea-like DMZ solution are intensifying. The Dragon Drone symbolizes how far modern warfare has devolved, sparking urgent dialogue on ending the conflict.

Ukraine’s Dragon Drone: A New Weapon Sparks Controversy

Never a day goes by in which Ukraine and Russia do not create some new way of killing people. 

I realize it’s a war, and Ukraine is fighting for its survival against Vladimir Putin’s forces, who have been accused of war crimes. 

However, this new Ukrainian battlefield weapon has me concerned about how much the war has devolved down to reveal the darkest of human intentions.

Dragon Drone Belches Fire

Enter a Ukrainian weapon that is called the “Dragon Drone.” 

At first blush, this doesn’t seem like a big deal.

Many munitions, including unmanned craft, receive dastardly nicknames that portend a sense of doom. 

Take, for example, the American “Predator” and “Reaper” drones. Those monikers are not coming from Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.

Do you Mean an Aerial Flamethrower?

The difference between the Dragon Drone, Predator, and Reaper is that the Ukrainian variant spews fire, hence the dragon nickname. 

That’s right. 

This is an unmanned vehicle that serves as a flamethrower—a weapon not seen since Vietnam, Korea, and the two world wars.

Napalm Death from a Drone

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry, never at a loss to brag about killing on social media, turned to Telegram to highlight video of the drone flamethrower a few months back. It’s not pretty. It appears the Ukrainian fighters are raining down a chemical-induced flame at tree-lined trenches to cook Russian troops. This reminds me of napalm during the Vietnam War.

Four Thousand Degree Thermite Heat

CNN described the Dragon Drone in the following manner. “The white-hot mixture of aluminum powder and iron oxide, called thermite, burns at temperatures up to 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,200 degrees Celsius). It can quickly burn off trees and vegetation giving cover to Russian troops, if not killing or disabling the troops outright.”

Is This a War Crime?

This is from a Hollywood horror movie or trench warfare during World War One.

Four thousand degrees Fahrenheit? That’s going to do more than “disable” troops. The human rights organizations should be perking up when they read these reports and watch the videos. I’m not exactly sure if this is a war crime, but it’s ugly.

The Ukrainians are boasting on social media – talking about vengeance and the sadness of Russian women when they hear about their dead loved ones from the fireballs launched from drones.

The Psychological Effect

Nicholas Drummond, a defense analyst and former British Army officer, explained that this “is very nasty stuff. Using a drone to deliver it is quite innovative. But used in that way its effect will have been psychological more than physical,” Drummond told CNN.

The Ukrainians Want Revenge

This weapon is going overboard. I realize the Ukrainians want payback for all the death and destruction that Russia has caused in this war. There have been credible reports of Russian soldiers raping women and torturing civilians.

That’s terrible, but do the Ukrainians need to cook their enemy with thermite to even the score?

Time to End This War

This is another reason that it is time for a cease-fire. It is one thing when two brothers get in a fistfight and trade blows. But when they start bringing flesh-cooking fireballs into the scrap, it is time to end the quarrel. This Dragon Drone should be banned. It is not enough to win the war decisively – it only creates more horror on the battlefield.

This makes me want both sides to pursue my peace plan in Ukraine, which entails negotiating a Korea-like armistice and creating a demilitarized zone. Both forces should back up from the front lines – about ten to twenty miles, and cease hostilities. Then, the United Nations can administer the DMZ. This arrangement has mostly kept the peace on the Korean peninsula for decades. Vice Presidential-Elect JD Vance has mentioned that he also favors a DMZ in Ukraine.

Cooking an enemy soldier with thermite at several thousand degrees is horrible, no matter the circumstances. It’s time to quit this war and pursue dialogue to end it. 

Dragon Drones have no place on the battlefield.

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood 

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.