They call them kamikaze drones because they can destroy a tank by hitting it. In the $300 million arms package that the United States have allocated in favorUkraine, there are also ten of the latest Switchblade drones. Stronger than previously announced. Weighing just over 20 kilograms, they can fly 40 kilometers and hover over a target for 40 minutes before slamming into it at 180 kilometers per hour and exploding, using special armorpiercing warheads capable of destroying a tank.
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Last Friday, the Pentagon announced the budget allotted to Ukraine, which included the purchase of 100 Switchblade 300 drones (the least powerful series), purchased directly from manufacturer AeroVironment. This type of offensive weapon was first used by the US military in Afghanistan in 2010 against the Taliban. The most advanced model was built when the need for drones capable of effectively taking out the new, more heavily armored tanks was realized. To round off the picture, there is also the question of cost. A Switchblade300 costs “only” $6,000, compared to $150,000 for a single Hellfire missile fired from a conventional Predator or Reaper drone.
This type of weapon is backpackportable. A ground operator launches the drone from a tube and steers it towards its target thanks to a piloting system that allows him to follow it from a distance. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has failed to create a nofly zone, but NATO is trying to do its part by arming its army with the most advanced weapons. Russia, aware of the risks, has already announced that western convoys will be shot down. A further escalation of the conflict could be imminent.
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