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Ukraine is now one of the hottest places on the world map. Weapons are brought here from all over the world. The Ukrainian military receives live ammunition, artillery and air defence systems. One way or another the Russian army continues its offensive. One of the few positives of the AFU is the extensive use of UAVs. One of the most used is the American Switchblade. It has proven to be excellent. Today it is one of the means that allows the AFU to demonstrate some advantages on the battlefield.
The Switchblade UAV is a platoon-level ISR/attack drone developed by Aerovironment. Classified as a Lethal Miniature Aerial Munition System (LMAMS), the Switchblade has been in limited deployment in Afghanistan since late 2012, acting as both a reconnaissance drone and guided munition for American soldiers.
The Switchblade measures two feet long and weighs just under six pounds including its carrying case and tube launcher, making it svelte enough for a single soldier to carry. Its 10 minute loiter time detracts from the Switchblade’s usefulness as a forward scout, but in the middle of a firefight, its color camera and GPS locating is more than sufficient to identify and track human and vehicle-sized targets up to three miles (10 km) away.
The Switchblade is most useful, however, as a guided munition. It carries an explosive charge equivalent to a 40mm grenade, allowing it to target lightly armored vehicles and embedded (or otherwise inaccessible) infantry positions, such as on rooftops or ridge lines. What’s more, the Switchblade’s electric propulsion system and small stature make is a sneaky little bastard, difficult to track and able to glide silently in a window before detonating.
The Switchblade uses AV’s Ground Control Station, which means that a squad can launch a Switchblade and Raven together, one for recon, the other for blowing stuff up. And if the situation changes after the Switchblade has been launched, the operator can cancel the strike and bring the UAV back for use later.
Even more promising is the Switchblade’s precision. Instead of calling in an airstrike in a densely populated urban area to clear out dug-in enemy positions, which would surely result in numerous civilian casualties, forces can strike with pinpoint accuracy.
The US has sent 100 Switchblade drones to Ukraine as part of one of the Biden administration’s arms packages.
The Americans have also thought about the training of Switchblade UAV operators. The Pentagon said that a group of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel trained in the USA had been sent to Ukraine. According to US Defence Department spokesman John Kirby, among other things, they were trained to fly Switchblade drones.
Furthermore, it was announced that the training of Ukrainian servicemen would begin. They will be learned in Ukraine’s neighbouring countries. The training will be conducted by US instructors.
There is little information in the media about the success of Switchblades in the war with Russia. The Ukrainian military is still in the process of learning. However given its ability to hit targets with maximum precision as well as its striking power, the Russian army has gained a serious obstacle in the way of special operation tasks, while the Ukrainian army has an excellent defence tool.
