About Dragon drones:
- Dragon drones essentially release a substance called thermite — a mixture of aluminium and iron oxide — developed a century ago to weld railroad tracks.
- Working
- 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.
- 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’
- In recent time these dragon drones are believed to have been first deployed in the Russia-Ukraine war around September.
- International regulation
- 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.
Q1: What are Tethered Drones?
A tethered drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle tethered to the ground. It consists of a base station on the ground and the drone, which is connected to the station through the tether (cable).
Source: What are ‘dragon drones’, the latest weapon being used in Russia-Ukraine war?
Last updated on June, 2025
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