Ukrainian forces say they detonated hydrogen-based bomb made from Toyota Mirari's fuel tank

Ukrainian fighters, employing some DIY know-how, salvaged parts from wrecked electric vehicles, including a hydrogen fuel tank from a Toytoa Mirai, to fashion a make-shift small hydrogen bomb into a ground drone to attack a Russian position, according to a report.

The 116th mechanized brigade, also kown as the Khorne Group, assembled the bomb during a counteroffensive last month in Vovchansk, in northeastern Ukraine, where Russian troops had taken cover in an old factory overlooking the town, according to Euromaidan Press.com.

With the Russian forces holed up in the heavily fortified structure and Ukrainians lacking guided bombs to attack the plant because of a shortage of military aid and the ineffectiveness of regular drones, they had to come up with other solutions.

"They salvaged parts from wrecked civilian electric cars to create drones and bombs. Batteries and alternators from electric vehicles like Teslas were repurposed as power sources for drones, helping to sustain the Ukrainian drone force," the report said.

The Ukrainian fighters manufactured a bomb built from the "fully loaded hydrogen cell" from the Toyota Mirai, which weighed more than 400 pounds.

The Mirai gets its power by transferring H2 from a high-pressure container into a fuel cell, according to Interesting Engineering.

"The hydrogen composition of the bomb enabled it to generate powerful blast waves, fireballs, debris, and mushroom clouds," the report said.

"Since drones were compromised by electronic warfare and the bomb was too heavy for aerial drone delivery, the Ukrainians opted to use a remotely operated ground drone to transport the bomb to the Russian positions," it added.

The Ukrainians sent the tricked-out vehicle carrying the bomb along a partially destroyed bridge to a spot near one of the plant's buildings and detonated it, "resulting in a powerful explosion that caused significant structural damage."

Video of the blast was posted online by Ukrainian forces.

Russian forces were initially forced to abandon the building before sending more troops to the facility to ensure it didn't fall into Ukrainians' hands. With the Russians focused on the plant, the Ukrainians exploited defensive gaps in the town to capture streets that were used as a key supply route.

Tags

Ukraine, Russia, Bomb, Electric cars