XPost: soc.history.war.misc

from https://news.yahoo.com/inside-the-cutting-edge-switchblade-drones-the-us-is-shipping-to-ukraine-164754374.html

(I have a question, How large a 'target' could the
Switchblade 300, is less than 2 feet long, weighs 5.5 pounds
take out? A Fuel truck, sure. But a standard truck???
Or is it only for an individual in a foxhole?)

Inside the cutting-edge Switchblade drones the U.S. is shipping to Ukraine Niamh Cavanagh
Niamh Cavanagh·Producer
Fri, March 18, 2022, 9:47 AM·3 min read

On Wednesday. the White House announced a new $800 million military
support package for Ukraine in a bid to help that country fight back
against the ongoing Russian invasion. Part of the aid package is for cutting-edge aerial drones that experts say could prove exceedingly
lethal to Russian forces.

The list of weapons to be shipped, President Biden said, includes 9,000 anti-armor systems, 7,000 small arms and 100 tactical unmanned aerial
systems. A U.S. official later confirmed to ABC that the aerial systems
to be sent would be small Switchblade drones.

Manufactured by the California company AeroVironment, the drones come in
two variations: the Switchblade 600 and the 300. The latter is built to
hit at smaller and more precise targets; the 600 is built to strike
armored vehicles and tanks.

The 300 is less than 2 feet long, weighs 5.5 pounds and can fly up to 15 minutes. The larger drone weighs 50 pounds and can fly for 40 minutes
over a range of 25 miles. Both can be carried in a backpack and deployed
by individual soldiers. It has not been confirmed whether both models
will be included in the shipment.

Switchblade 600.
Switchblade 600 drone. (AeroVironment)
According to its manufacturer, the drones can cruise at around 65 mph
and come fitted with cameras and GPS systems. They are single-use, which
means they explode after striking their target and are not recoverable
after they have been launched. The Switchblades also have a “wave-off” feature so that operators can abort a mission if civilians appear near
the target or if the enemy withdraws.

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“These were designed for U.S. Special Operations Command and are exactly
the type of weapons systems that can have an immediate impact on the battlefield,” Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of
defense, told ABC News.

Ukraine’s drones have proved vital in carrying out successful attacks in
the early stages of the invasion. Jack Watling of the London-based Royal
United Services Institute told Euronews that Ukraine had used drones to
strike Russian forces before they were able to set up their air defenses
in the battlefield.

Watling went on to say that the Ukrainian army drones “have been
essentially flying in at a low level and then coming up and raiding with
them. So striking targets of opportunity.”

A senior defense official confirmed the Switchblades’ effectiveness for Ukrainian forces by claiming that the drones would be useful in taking
out long-range Russian artillery as Russia ramps up the bombardment of
major cities in Ukraine.

An illustration of a Switchblade 600 drone launch. (AeroVironment)
An illustration of a Switchblade 600 drone launch. (AeroVironment)
"These tactical UAVs can be useful against Russian vehicles and
artillery," the official told reporters this week.

On Friday, the Times of London reported that an elite Ukrainian drone
unit had destroyed dozens of “priority targets” by attacking static
Russian forces as they slept. That specialist unit within the army,
named Aerorozvidka, has reportedly been striking vehicles, including
tanks and trucks, since the invasion began on Feb. 24.

“We strike at night, when Russians sleep,” Yaroslav Honchar, the unit’s commander, said from his base in Kyiv.

The latest allocation of military aid came after Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky called on the West to “do more” in the fight against Moscow's aggression when he addressed Congress on Wednesday. In his
speech, Zelensky invoked the horror of the 9/11 terror attacks as he
pleaded for more military aid.

_____
What happened this week in Ukraine? Check out this explainer from Yahoo Immersive to find out.

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