As part of a massive military aid package announced Wednesday, the Biden administration is providing Ukraine with U.S.-made killer drones — cutting-edge guided missiles that could accurately target Russian troops from kilometres away.
The White House referred to the weapons in a fact sheet on the aid package as “100 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems.”
The inclusion of the “tactical” drones, which crash into their targets, represents a new phase of weaponry being sent to Ukraine by the U.S., which so far has shipped mostly anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons.
The Switchblade is a small, light drone that can loiter in the air for up to 30 minutes before being directed to its target by an operator on the ground, dozens of kilometres away. The drone is launched from a tube, like a mortar shell. Its real-time GPS guidance allows a service member in the field to fly it until the moment it crashes and explodes into whatever the target might be.
There are two variants of the weapon, the Switchblade 300 and the 600, that have been sold to U.S. Special Operations Command by manufacturer AeroVironment, based in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.
The 300 is designed for pinpoint strikes on personnel, and the larger 600 is meant to destroy tanks and other armored vehicles. The Congressional officials did not have clarity on which variant would be provided to Ukraine, or whether both would be.
Regardless, Switchblades of any kind, which are each loaded into an individual launch tube, would undoubtedly be a boon to Ukrainian forces.
These backpack-portable loitering munitions offer even small squads of soldiers localized aerial surveillance capabilities, allowing them to scout ahead, locate obstacles, ambushes, and targets of opportunity. They can then attack those targets with extreme precision.
