They don't actually - they cause pressurised containers (propane for example) to outgas but they don't cause an explosion or even ignition.
You can shoot clean through a propane tank with a 50 cal bullet and not even see (from a distance) the effect .. unless the air temp and humidty is enough to condense water about the outgassing.
Go and check out some "let's shoot a propane tank" videos - no explosions UNLESS someone rigs an ignition source (lit flare, etc).
You've been getting your 'facts' from Hollywood.
Indeed we easily could find some pre-existing videos of pressurized cylinders exploding and there being flames. I don't think you're going to convince me that flammable pressurized canisters do cannot cause thrust when punctured.
Does there have to be another existing fire for punctured [propane] tanks to rocket upward like in the movies?
Does a drone RPG carry a light? Really.
> aluminum aircraft contacting a building cause enough of a spark
Read the accident report - static electricity, not a bullet, not a pressurised propane container.
> Does there have to be another existing fire for punctured [propane] tanks to rocket upward like in the movies?
Usually a pulley system or another Hollywood trick.
> Does a drone RPG carry a light?
No. Also, not a bullet, it's a Rocket Propelled Grenade.
Just to clarify, here's a slow motion video of a bullet fired into an unsecured pressurised propane tank (small) with a lit flare next to it.
https://youtu.be/ptend5StNB8?t=62
You can see the tank outgassing and falling off the 44 gallon drum (doesn't "rocket into the air"), the gas eventually (in slow motion it takes a while) lights up from the lit flare and there's a dramatic fireball (burning gas) but no explosion as such - after all is over and done with the propane tank will look a little singed, have two holes in it, but won't look "exploded".
There are other videos with no flares .. much the same happens save there are no fireballs, the gas just expels and expands out into the atmosphere.
- static electricity
- lightning
- flame
- puncture
- midair collision
- acts of war
- solar flares; Carrington events
- combinations thereof; static + puncture
- chance presence of combustible gases and particulates; [grain dust,] + spark/static
Something like that's got to be fuzzed like a flying slot machine.
And, frankly, flaming gas bag is not a serious threat. It would be neat to see, but a small undirected hydrogen fueled fire without access to any other fuel source is not scary. I'd be more concerned about the body of the deflated vessel causing a short than anything
It is feasible that microwave power beaming or similar could affect the wind or the airship directly.
Drones are very inexpensive. Ukraine's latest are probably sufficient to cause operational failure for airships.
It is appropriate to be concerned about flaming gas bags positioned over critical energy infrastructure.
We don't know how to fly a flaming gas bag out of the way when there is a Hydrogen fire.