Phoenix drone footage3/11/2024 But it’s possible the February order has resulted in a larger volume delivery since.Īn AeroVironment executive stated last October that the company had capacity to produce 2,000 Switchblade-600s annually, and plans to triple that production rate with additional factory lines and facilities. If Ukraine has only received the initial 10 systems, then they’re simply undergoing small-scale operational testing. That last factor is likely responsible for the majority of drone losses in the conflict. Thus, the impact Switchblade-600’s arrival in theater depends on whether Ukraine has received them in sufficient quantity (we’re talking hundreds at a minimum), as well as to what extent they prove qualitatively superior to Ukraine’s many improvised loitering munition solutions in terms of range, accuracy and resistance to jamming. In April, the hitherto unknown Ukrainian company called One Way Aerospace revealed it had been delivering a loitering munition called the Scalpel since 2022, which is being used in combat. Switchblades, Ukraine has also received purpose-built loitering munitions from Poland ( Warmate) and the United Kingdom and Australia (DefendTex D40).The country also manufactures some of its own, including the RAM II and the ST-35. Ukraine already fields a diverse menagerie of surveillance and attack drones, some designed originally for military use like Soviet target drones, others civilian UASs that have been field-modified for combat-especially First-Person View racing drones modified into kamikaze weapons.īesides U.S. ![]() announced a new delivery of Switchblade-600s as part of a $2 billion arms package without specifying quantity. The first Switchblade 600s reportedly arrived in Ukraine in November or December of 2022. Allegedly proven successful with a 60% kill rate, the Ghost has yet be identified in public imagery. At least 1,800 were reportedly transferred to Ukraine over the last year. While waiting, the Pentagon focused on giving Ukraine a still mysterious anti-vehicle kamikaze drone called Phoenix Ghost. However, it turned out that this inventory would need to be built from scratch, as the -600 model hadn’t begun production and AeroVironment only had a modest number on hand. placed a $2.2 million initial order for ten Switchblade-600 systems. And that’s after counting out dozens of missed Russian drone attacks also recorded on camera. By April of 2022, they have been recorded destroying or damaging around 50 towed or self-propelled artillery systems well behind the frontline, including several sophisticated types supplied by the West. Bigger Is Better? Enter Switchblade-600Īrguably, Russia’s most demonstrably successful weapon in its shambolic Ukraine invasion has proven to be its Lancet-3 kamikaze drones. ![]() Furthermore, an S-300V would ordinarily be deployed further back than a Switchblade-300 could fly. It appears to show a Switchblade-style targeting interface, but hits hard enough to suggest a more powerful weapon than a Switchblade-300. Notably, a video shared by Ukraine’s military early in March showed a loitering drone attack by Ukrainian Special Operations Forces that disabled a truck-based launcher-part of a Russian S-300V4 long-range air defense system. Reportedly, they’ve also been used to target fuel trucks, machine gun nests, and trench positions. The few videos released of Switchblade-300 strikes in Ukraine show a focus targeting individual personnel. ![]() However, the little weapon was less ideal for high-intensity warfare in Ukraine, given the importance of targeting Russian armored vehicles and, especially, artillery systems a greater distance from the frontline. Every Drone In Russia's War Against Ukraine.troops found the backpack-able Switchblade-300 useful while combating Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan thanks to its portability, precision and ability to limit risks of collateral damage to civilians. Controlled by a tablet tap-style interface, they can also abort an attack run should circumstances change, and loiter overhead until a clear target presents itself. The expendable drones have an endurance of 10-15 minutes, a cruising speed of a mile per minute, and a maximum range of 6 miles. It can be launched out of a two-foot launch tube into the air, remotely piloted and ultimately instructed to dive towards enemy personnel and detonate a small grenade-like charge, releasing a shotgun spray of shrapnel in a specific direction. That refers to a tiny flying drone named after its folding wings that weighs just 5.55 pounds. Just a few weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 23, 2022, the Biden administration announced it was sending hundreds of Switchblade systems to Ukraine.
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