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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsU.S. sending Switchblade drones to Ukraine in $800 million package
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/16/us-sends-switchblade-drones-to-ukraine-00017836The U.S. will send 100 Switchblade drones to Ukraine as part of the Biden administrations new $800 million weapons package, Texas Rep. Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told POLITICO.
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. An administration official confirmed McCauls account that the U.S. is sending the Switchblade.
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 miles 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.
The weapon was first fielded in Afghanistan by U.S. special operations forces, but quickly was picked up by the Army and Marine Corps, who saw value in the light, accurate munition that can help thwart ambushes or take out vehicles.
Throck
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FakeNoose
(32,351 posts)... without actually declaring it.
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The Unmitigated Gall
(3,718 posts)CaptainTruth
(6,546 posts)Russia has been using a lot of light artillery in Ukraine, like towed artillery (pulled by other vehicles) that's not protected by armor, & a Switchblade 300 could certainly take those out.
For armored vehicles we (& NATO) have given Ukraine thousands of ATGMs, NLAWs, MANPADS etc that are easily portable & deadly effective against armored vehicles. Many hundreds of pics illustrate how effective they are.
Of course, the Switchblade 300 is a top-down attack weapon, so if an armored vehicle has the hatch open, especially a Russian tank with an auto-loader that carries ammo in a carousel around the turret, all you have to do is start a fire inside & eventually the ammo will start detonating.
In theory even a Molotov cocktail could take out a Russian tank, if the tank has the hatch open & the cocktail starts a sustained fire inside that gets hot enough to detonate the ammo in the auto-loader carousel. IMHO, it's a major flaw of Russian tank design.
For more info, & differences between the Switchblade 300 & Switchblade 600, see my post below, (#7 I think? Can't see it right now.)
CaptainTruth
(6,546 posts)I was wondering what they were. I saw there was talk of sending Switchblades, specifically the Switchblade 300, not the Switchblade 600.
Does anyone have confirmation on whether they're all 300, or some 600?
The 300 is suitable for use on support vehicles, while the 600 is bigger, heavier, & designed for use on armored vehicles.
For those curious about the difference (from Wikipedia):
Switchblade 300
It is 2 ft (610 mm) long and weighs 6 lb (2.7 kg) including the carrying case and launcher, making it small and light enough for one soldier to carry. The Switchblade is folded up inside a tube with wings unfolding once it gets airborne. It can be controlled up to 10 km (6.2 mi) but its small size limits its endurance to 10 minutes. This makes it unsuited for scouting roles, but it is useful for inexpensively engaging long-range targets and assisting in relieving units pinned down by enemy fire. The Switchblade uses a color camera and GPS locating to identify, track, and engage targets, as well as being able to be pre-programmed on a collision course. Its warhead has an explosive charge equivalent to a 40mm grenade to destroy light armored vehicles and personnel.
Switchblade 600
The larger system weighs 50 lb (23 kg) but is still man-portable and can be set up in 10 minutes. It is designed to fly out to 40 km (25 mi) in 20 minutes, then loiter for another 20 minutes (giving it an 80 km (50 mi) total range) and attack at a 115 mph (185 km/h) dash speed, carrying an anti-armor warhead designed to neutralize armored vehicles.