(Bloomberg) — The Pentagon plans to order and ship to Ukraine 10 of the latest Switchblade drone models equipped with anti-tank warheads, in addition to the previously announced deliveries of a less powerful version, according to two people aware of the decision.
The new Switchblade-600 weapons are part of the $300 million in lethal military assistance announced by the Pentagon Friday night, which will be contracted directly from the industry rather than removed from existing inventories, according to people, who asked not to identify themselves referring to the plans.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed on Tuesday that anti-tank drones are part of the armament that will be sent to Ukraine.
The inventory of the latest round of weapons being sent to Kiev includes “unmanned aerial vehicles such as the Switchblade UAV, which is a higher level of technology, but provides them with additional capacity to pursue armored formations,” Austin said.
The White House reported on March 16 that it would supply 100 Switchblade drones as part of a $800 million package of weapons and equipment from US inventories. But those systems are the versions of the “300 series”, 2.5-kilo drones designed to attack personnel and light vehicles. They can fly about 10 kilometers and stay on a target for about 15 minutes, according to a fact sheet prepared by AeroVironment Inc., the manufacturer of the drones.
The new model of about 23 kilos, produced by the company based in Simi Valley, California, can fly more than 39 kilometers and wander 40 minutes before attacking with an anti-armor warhead. The drone operator uses a fire control system on a touch screen based on a tablet with the option of manually piloting the missile.
The first version of the dive bombing drone has been in the arsenal of US commandos since it was secretly sent to Afghanistan in 2010 for use against the Taliban. Army officers have called it a flying shotgun.
Original Note:
U.S. Switchblade Drones for Ukraine to Include Tank Killers (1)
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