U.S. sending Switchblade drones to Ukraine in $800 million package

[Goonch]

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 McCaul’s 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.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/16/us-sends-switchblade-drones-to-ukraine-00017836

[Budi]

1. Gamers should dig the Switchblade drone ops

AeroVironment Switchblade

The AeroVironment Switchblade is a miniature-sized loitering munition drone developed by AeroVironment. It is designed as a "kamikaze drone", being able to crash into its target with an explosive warhead to destroy it. The Switchblade is small enough to be carried in a backpack and can be launched from a variety of ground, maritime, and air platforms. Two variants exist, the Switchblade 300 and the Switchblade 600.


https://www.democraticunderground.com/117814951

[lapfog_1]

5. Drones and smart missiles like the javelin

may well spell the end of tank and armor vehicles in a land battle.

Anti-missile systems like the Navy Phalanx would be hard to adapt to a much smaller armor tank, not to mention there would be a literal weight issue given the amount of ammo they need.

Plus, one can attack with multiple drones or javelins simultaneously... making the anti-missile defense that much harder.

[Sherman A1]

7. True, it is looking like the USMC deactivating it's two remaining tank battalions last year

was a wiser move than it was first considered to be.

[lapfog_1]

10. small teams armed with switchblades, javelins... melting into the forest

with thermal dissipation camo to blend into the environment (Predator was sooo many years ago now)... will just kill tank battalions.

[PurgedVoter]

17. As early as the eightys it was clear to strategists that tanks were sitting ducks.

Tanks are worth hitting. They are important to get rid of early on. They are also easy targets that can be destroyed for a fraction of the cost to build, buy, support or move.
For a while air support was able to make up for their extreme vulnerability, but now the only good use for them today is to park them and let kids climb on them. Sell a few to companies that will want them for making movies. Put the rest in parks.

[Sherman A1]

18. I believe that the Main Battle Tank still has it's place on the battlefield

However, it must be in a combined arms environment. They and the lesser armored fighting vehicles cannot operate alone.

[PurgedVoter]

22. This can be argued forever, but unless you have a good way to eliminate drones, tanks are history.

Hopefully we don't have a lot of events that will prove or disprove our arguments, but for the price of a tank divided by the amount of ammo you expect it to be able to fire before for it is disabled, that ammo could be wrapped in a drone body and delivered with fine precision.

Drones have already changed the face of warfare. The next generation of snipers will have VR goggles and be prepared to take out armor as they wait for someone to come into rifle range.

[Budi]

8. This 'Starstreak' is the badass the UK just sent to Ukraine.

Sending UK-made, man portable Starstreak surface to air missiles to Ukrainian forces

@TrentTelenko
UK Starstreak missiles are seriously nasty & small anti-aircraft missile w/three dart warheads.
Being laser beam riding, Russian flares are useless to decoy them.
They are much faster than a Stinger & all the operator has to do is keep the crosshair on the aircraft.

Link to tweet

UK Starstreak in action:

[Auggie]

2. Whoa -- hadn't heard of that until now. U.S. weaponry is getting really, really, really ...

bad-ass?

[herding cats]

15. Ha! Funny you should say that...

When I read about them "badass" was my literal utterance.

[Auggie]

16. Badass it is!

Wonder what other high-tech weapons our military has devised?

[AntiFascist]

3. Very cool! I hopes there's lots of them. n/t

[Goonch]

4. ;-{)🖖‍

[Kaleva]

6. A battery if these would wreck havoc on a Russian convoy

Could also be used to attack RU artillery and rocket positions.

[Budi]

13. No wonder Putin's trading what's left of his country's wealth for China's weapon technology

"China of you're listening!" H.e.l.p. 😫

The RU Oligarchs pilfered off the military budget to buy yachts rather than investing in fast expanding weapons technology..

Meanwhile, putin's pulling unwilling citizens off the street to fight a troop war against star wars.

[FakeNoose]

9. Nice

[TheBlackAdder]

11. That's rad.

.



.

[sky_masterson]

12. I am not implying that this is how you get a terminator

But this is how you get a Terminator.

[TomSlick]

14. I wonder what training time is needed to operate this bad boy.

Are Ukrainians going to need to go to Poland for training? If so, for how long?

[RussellCattle]

19. When you see weapons like this being deployed in Ukraine and then see images of Russian.....

.....troops carrying World War One vintage bolt action rifles, you've got to believe that this whole exercise is ultimately going to show the much vaunted Russian army to be something of a toothless bear. This adding another whole level to Putin's miscalculation of his prospects for a quick victory.

[LiberalLovinLug]

20. Its all great n all for Ukraine

But does anyone else have trepidation about this new generation of pilotless war drones?

Once this conflict winds down. The world will still have them. Less costly for poorer despot nations to afford than fighter jets. Less costly for lives lost...which helps politically. Not only about how easily these can be used against enemy soldiers but civilians as well. Both in foreign lands and on home soil. If a social rights protest gets too rowdy for instance.

[Sgent]

21. What about

counter artillery weapons and anti-air(not Javalin's)? UKR is getting the shit pounded out of them by air and artillery, and although that can't win a war by itself it can seriously weaken someone over time. Russia is treating the siege of Kyiv no different than Grant did Vicksburg and using essentially the same weapons. When people run out of rats to eat they will surrender.

[KS Toronado]

23. According to the Politico article......

We're only sending 100 of these, IMO we need to send at least a couple thousand, use them to take
out all their missile batteries way behind the lines. Then go after tanks.