Drone-flown 'drop bombs' pushing back junta troops in Myanmar

Ethnic pro-democracy fighters find success with Gen Z creation 3D-printed bombs

NAMHSAN, Myanmar - A squad of Myanmar pro-democracy fighters works quickly to ready drones for an attack on a nearby military base, the latest target in a wave of aerial assaults that has helped turn the war against the junta.

The team stands back as a contraption named "Bomber VIII", carrying a new 6kg explosive, soars over a line of trees.

"The military position is 4km away from us," says Mr Soe Thuya Zaw, leader of the drone unit, as he punches coordinates into a map on his phone. "It is within our reach." Minutes later, the drones reach the position and at the push of a button release their "drop bombs" over the target.

The team counts two blasts. One has failed to detonate, but all three drones return safely.

Opponents of Myanmar's junta use such attacks to challenge the military's dominance of the skies with its Russian- and Chinese-built jets and helicopters.

"While military pilots are flying fighter jets themselves and attacking us, we are also trying to conquer the sky," said Mr Soe Thuya Zaw of the Mandalay People's Defence Force (PDF).

Mr Soe Thuya Zaw said his group's drone operations were entirely "the creations of our Generation Z".

Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has admitted the drone barrages have forced the military to retreat from its positions.