Ukraine’s Drone of Fire
One more kit in the Ukranian toolbox
When I first saw Ukrainian drones raining fire to illuminate a treeline, I couldn’t help but think of Daenerys Targaryen (Game of Thrones) riding dragons into battle and ordering them to burn the enemy with dragonfire.
Ukraine’s “dragon drones” have been around for a while. If my memory serves me correctly, I first saw them in early January 2024. Ukraine used these drones to drop thermite on abandoned Russian vehicles, setting them ablaze. When the thermite touches the ammunition inside a vehicle, it either bursts on its own or cuts through the metal.
It’s an inexpensive method — reports indicate that the thermite mixture costs just 12 euros.
How does it work? What is Thermite?
- Thermite is a type of chemical composition that is used for welding, cutting, and other high-temperature applications. It consists mainly of a mixture of metal powder and metal oxide, typically aluminum powder and iron oxide .
- When ignited, thermite undergoes a highly exothermic oxidation-reduction reaction, producing extremely high temperatures — often over 2,500°C.
- This intense heat can melt through metal. That is why Ukraine kept dropping them on Russian vehicles.
A grenade costs between $50 and $100 and requires TNT. Finding iron oxide and aluminum powder is much easier than sourcing TNT in a world that’s actively seeking it.
For some reason, people have started comparing these dragon drones to napalm and thermobaric rockets used by the Russian armed forces. While they both involve fire, they are fundamentally different. The drones Ukraine uses cannot cause the same level of damage.
What they can do is help Ukraine soften the Russian troops who often hide in treelines. Russians will mine open fields and station their troops, sometimes even tanks, radars, and other vehicles, in the treelines while keeping an eye on the fields. Ukraine can use these drones to target the Russian positions guarding those open areas.
Recent videos show just one drone raining fire on the treelines, but Ukraine could certainly deploy a swarm of drones to increase the impact and make it harder for Russian troops to hide behind the trees.
It’s a valuable tool, but that’s all it is. It won’t reshape the ground war between Russia and Ukraine.
I actually intended to write about the strategic containment efforts of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and his trusted advisor Horace Wilson, both of whom believe that playing nice with the monster would help contain its growth. I plan to hold off on detailing Mr. Chamberlain and Wilson’s actions until the end of the month.
Around $6 billion in Presidential Drawdown Authority granted by U.S. Congress to aid Ukraine will expire at the end of the month.
That brings us to the most important and positive development of the week: Ukraine is set to receive the first batch of the RCH 155, a self-propelled howitzer developed by Germany.
It’s a truly remarkable weapons system — I haven’t seen anything like it so far.
The RCH 155 is built on a Boxer 8x8 armored vehicle, allowing it to travel at speeds of up to 100 km/h with a range of nearly 700 km. Like other armored vehicles, it features an automated gun for protection. In the case of the RCH 155, it has a remote-controlled 12.7mm machine gun mounted on top of the turret. This provides protection against enemy infantry and light vehicles, and can also be used to shoot down pesky Russian drones from a distance. The crew can operate the gun from inside the vehicle, without needing to exit.
You can see the remote-controlled gun at the top of the vehicle in the image below.
Since it’s essentially an armored vehicle with a howitzer mounted on top, the chassis is equipped with protection against mines and IEDs.
The RCH 155 can fire three different types of artillery shells, enabling it to target distances from 40 km to 70 km. It has a firing rate of 8 shells per minute and operates as a fully automated system. With a two-person crew, there’s little for them to do other than guide the vehicle and engage enemy targets.
It can carry 30 artillery shells per trip.
Ukraine is set to receive 58 of these systems before the end of the year, delivered in batches. The first batch is expected to arrive shortly. Since it’s coming from Germany, we can expect it to arrive sooner rather than later.
The arrival of the RCH 155 will significantly enhance Ukraine’s ability to execute shoot-and-scoot tactics. Imagine ten RCH 155s moving closer to the frontlines, firing 8 shells each at single target, and then leaving within two minutes. By the time the Russians realize they’ve been hit, the RCH 155s would have already departed. This makes it a formidable asset against counter-battery fire.
Ten RCH 155s working together can drop 80 shells on a single target in less than 60 seconds. Thanks to their precision, if Ukraine gets its hands on enough artillery shells, they can now start dismantling Russian fortifications in southern Ukraine.
RCH 155 is one of the best systems for executing hit-and-run tactics. Ukraine can now perform these maneuvers as a coordinated group.
Thanks for reading. Making critical information on Ukraine accessible is one way to fight misinformation. That’s why I’ve made 268 stories free to the public in 2024, including this one.
