Two congressional officials briefed by NBC News on Wednesday said that the Biden administration provided Ukraine a U.S.-made killer drones as part of a huge military aid package. These drones are cutting-edge guided missiles capable of accurately targeting Russian troops far away.
In a factsheet on the aid package, the White House referred the weapons as “100 tactical unmanned aerial systems.” NBC News exclusively reported Tuesday that this move was being considered.
The Switchblade 300 and 600 are the two versions of the weapon that AeroVironment has sold to the U.S. Special Operations Command. They are both based in Washington, D.C. The 300 is for precise strikes on personnel and the 600 to destroy tanks and armored vehicles. Officials from the Congressional were unsure which variant would be given to Ukraine or if both would.
NBC News covered an exclusive demonstration of Switchblade 300 in December. AeroVironment officials stated at the time that they were forbidden from demonstrating 600.
AeroVironment representatives did not respond to our requests for comment.
“We stand alongside our allies, sovereign nations in the right to protect their homelands or their very lives when this fundamental rights is threatened,” the company stated in a statement posted on its website. It headlined “AeroVironment supports the people of Ukraine” and “All of NATO.”
The Switchblades can be described as robotic smart bombs equipped with guidance systems, cameras and explosives. They can be programmed with GPS to automatically hit targets far away and can be controlled to steer around objects until they are ready to strike. According to the company, the 600 can fly up to 50 miles and 40 minutes.
They can only be used once, so they’re called “kamikaze drones”. But they are a lot cheaper than the Hellfire missiles fired from U.S. Reaper drones. Some estimates suggest that the 300 could cost as low as $6,000
The weapons can be assembled in minutes and fired from tubes. They fly faster than the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 helicopters that Ukraine used to inflict harm on Russia. It is possible they could penetrate Russia’s weak air defenses.
The Switchblade could be used in Ukraine as the most important use of the weapon in combat. Sources familiar with the matter say that the Switchblade was used in combat in Afghanistan and other areas by the U.S. military, but it has not been made public.
There are many questions about the proposed agreement with Ukraine. These include how many missiles the U.S. holds, how fast AeroVironment is able to manufacture new ones, and how much training Ukrainians would need to operate them.
The United Kingdom is currently the only country to buy the Switchblade.
