According to a report in NBC News, the Biden administration is considering providing Ukraine with US-made suicide drones, which function as state-of-the-art missiles that can accurately hit Russian tanks and cannons from miles away, two congressmen briefed on the subject were briefed by NBC. According to them, if the weapon is given to Ukraine, it could lead to the most significant use of weapons in combat so far.
No decisions have been made, but officials said the White House is undecided on whether to equip Ukraine with “rotating missiles” loaded with explosives, called Switchblade, as part of a new package of military aid to Ukraine that President Joe Biden is expected to discuss today.
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Switchblade are robotic smart bombs, equipped with cameras, training and guidance systems and explosives. They can be programmed to automatically hit targets miles away, and can be navigated around targets until the right time to hit.
There are two versions of the weapon, the 300 and the 600, with the 300 designed for spot attacks on manpower, and the larger 600 designed to destroy tanks and other armored vehicles. According to the manufacturer, the 600 can fly for 40 minutes and up to 50 miles.
They are disposable weapons, which is why they have been called “suicide drones,” but they are several orders of magnitude cheaper than the Hellfire missiles fired by American Ripper drones. The 300 can cost up to $ 6,000, according to some estimates.
You can set up both weapons in minutes and launch them from tubes. They are flying much faster than the Turkish drones that Ukraine has used so far to inflict damage on Russia, and they will probably be able to penetrate the spotty air defense that Russia exercises on its forces.
If the switch blade is given to Ukraine, it could result in the most significant use of weapons in combat to date. The U.S. military has used a switch blade to fight under limited circumstances in Afghanistan and elsewhere, but has not released that fact, sources familiar with the matter said.
The weapon is manufactured by AeroVironment, based in the Washington suburbs, and it supplies it to the U.S. Special Operations Command. To date, the UK is the only foreign country allowed to purchase the Switchblade.
NBC News also reported an exclusive demo of the Switchblade 300 in December. AeroVironment officials said at the time that the government had banned them from demonstrating the 600. AeroVironment officials did not respond to requests for comment.
“We stand by our allies and sovereign states in their right to protect their homelands and lives when this fundamental right is threatened,” the company said in a statement on its website entitled “AeroVironment stands by the people of Ukraine and NATO as a whole.”
Many questions remain about the proposed arrangement with Ukraine, including how many of the missiles the US has in stock, how fast AeroVironment can produce new ones and how much training the Ukrainians will require to operate the systems.
Sources with knowledge of the matter said that Ukraine is asking the Biden administration for armed skimmers, anti-ship missiles, electronic disruption equipment “off the shelf” and surface-to-air missiles that could hit planes at higher altitudes. According to them, Ukraine wanted help to strengthen its electronic warfare efforts against Russia with “off the shelf” equipment, including satellite navigation equipment and disruption of communications and ground-based communications for UAV monitoring.
The list of wishes recently submitted to Washington by Ukraine also includes a request for Stinger’s more mobile anti-aircraft missiles and Javelin’s anti-tank weapons, which have already proved crucial in the government’s fight against a larger and more armed Russian force, sources said, including two European diplomats familiar with The requirements of Kyiv.
It is still unclear whether the Biden administration will approve some of the requests for weapons and equipment, including armed UAVs or anti-ship missiles. Run fast with a minimum of training.
Government officials are also concerned about measures that could increase the risk of a direct NATO-Russia conflict.
The Biden administration declined to comment on the report.