Biden admin weighs providing Ukraine with killer drones called Switchblades

[Uncle Joe]

(snip)

The Switchblades are essentially robotic smart bombs, equipped with cameras, guidance systems and explosives. They can be programmed to automatically strike targets miles away, and they can be steered around objectives until the time is right to strike. The company says the 600 can fly for 40 minutes and up to 50 miles.

They are single-use weapons, which is why they have been dubbed “kamikaze drones.” But they are orders of magnitude cheaper than the Hellfire missiles fired by U.S. Reaper drones. The 300 can cost as little as $6,000, by some estimates.

Both weapons can be set up in minutes and launched from tubes. They fly much faster than the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones that Ukraine has been using to inflict damage on Russia, and presumably they would be able to penetrate the spotty air defenses Russia is maintaining over its forces.

If the Switchblade were given to Ukraine, it could result in the most significant use of the weapon in combat to date. The U.S. military used the Switchblade in combat under limited circumstances in Afghanistan and elsewhere but has not publicized that fact, sources familiar with the matter have said.

(snip)

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/ukraine-asks-biden-admin-armed-drones-jamming-gear-surface-air-missile-rcna20197

[Srkdqltr]

1. Go for it. Get this done sooner than later. Than make Russia pay for the damage.

[Autumn]

2. No time to weigh it. Send them now, people are dying.

[CanonRay]

3. Do it. Today.

The Russians are shifting more troops from the Georgia border. Wish Georgia would attract the remaining ones.

[James48]

4. Dangerous-

If these drones operate on AI, how will they tell if the tank the come up on is a Russian or a Ukrainian T-72?
It will just blow away whatever it is.

Think hard if you want that on the battlefield, because it is a two-edge sword.

[mitch96]

5. Here I go assuming again but I would think the target would be spotted by a ground observer

first, coordinates given and programed into the device. Or maybe a friendly spy in the sky doing overwatch? ymmv
m

[Autumn]

6. The US used the Switchblade in combat in Afghanistan and other places.

They have been battlefield tested. The UK is the only other country we have sold them to.

https://www.realcleardefense.com/2021/03/19/uk_to_buy_switchblade_loitering_munition_768941.html

[Martin68]

7. I don't think Ukranian tanks are going head-to-head with Russian tanks. They are unlikely to be that

close together.

[James48]

8. Yes, they are.

And the Ukrainians are capturing and using Russian tanks too. It’s a damn war.

[Martin68]

9. From what I've read, they are mainly using artillery and ambushing them with anti-tank weapons.

The Ukrainians can't win a classic tank battle.

[James48]

10. Martin-

The Ukrainians are outnumbered in tanks on the order of 10 to 1. They won’t last long going head to head. But yes, they are attacking/counter attacking with tanks at times. Ukraine is using everything they have to try and stop the Russians. Including Ukrainian tanks. Against Russian tanks, and BMPs, and every kind of Russian vehicle, and against the Russian infantry when they find dismounted soldiers.

It’s a very difficult battlefield when both sides are using the same equipment, and you have to be sure which side is firing at you. That’s why the Russians painted the recognition markings.

[lagomorph777]

12. Not AI. Operator-controlled.

"Unlike most weapons, the Switchblade can also disengage or abort a mission at any time, and then recommit to another target depending on what the operator commands."

https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/03/17/switchblade-drones-what-are-these-kamikaze-weapons-and-how-can-they-help-ukraine

[lagomorph777]

11. DO IT!

NOW!