MILAN – The Russian military says it has developed a flamethrower designed to attack Ukraine’s first human-observation drones carrying a flammable mixture, which experts say may not be effective against targets.
On November 14, the pictures were was published by the Russian Telegram channel showing what appeared to be an unmanned space vehicle equipped with a flammable mixture that, once in the air, crushed the solid flames.
“It looks like a commercial quadcopter-type drone that carries a small tank full of a flammable substance, probably weighing one or two pounds, which can spray down, creating an effective flame of two to three meters,” Federico Borsari, who lives at the US Center for European Policy Analysis said of the video.
Experts said that the platform seems to be specially designed to target enemy drones. Samuel Bendett, a Russian military technical adviser at the Center for Naval Analyses, said that in the video, an unknown voice can be heard saying, “we are in contact with another UAV.”
This Russian protest may be a response to the Ukrainian military’s use of FPV drones to spray thermite over forested areas where it is believed to be enemy forces and equipment.
However, some researchers are skeptical about the effectiveness of the flamethrowers, such as accurately directing a stream of flame towards Ukrainian drones that move smoothly and drop thermite.
“If this type [Russian] drone is to do that to another UAV, you need to get into the area and be very precise – this can work against others that are moving around in the area to be noticed, otherwise if the drone is moving, it will be difficult to shoot this type of water. on a moving target,” Bendett said.
Borsari noted that the limited amount of explosive solutions that the Russian drone can carry is another important obstacle, which he estimates is enough for a single source before it needs to be refilled.
“As the drone consumes hot water and the pressure of the sprayer decreases, the heat that returns can damage the drone itself and cause it to crash if the operator continues to rotate,” Borsari added.
In early September, when the first Ukrainian fire-dropping footage was released, analysts told Defense News that such systems, apart from being a cheap way to expose enemy positions, are also psychological tools.