What is Switchblade 600?

Feb. 25, 2023

The US Government recently announced a new package of long-term security assistance for Ukraine with a $2 billion commitment to send more rounds of ammunition and a variety of small, high-tech drones, including the upgraded Switchblade 600 Kamikaze drones.

About Switchblade 600 kamikaze drone:

The Switchblade 600 kamikaze drone is a man-portable tube-launched loitering munition developed and designed by the US company AeroVironment.
It is an upgraded version of Switchblade 300 fitted with an ATGM (Anti-Tank Guided Missile), designed to neutralize tanks and heavy armored vehicles.
It aims to provide precision optics for destroying targets in a direct downward strike.

Features:
It can fly, track and engage non-line-of-sight targets and armored vehicles with precision lethal effects without the need for external ISR(Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) or fire assets.
It has a range of over 40km and has more than 40 minutes of flight endurance.
It is powered by an electric battery and propeller.
It is equipped with high-resolution EO/IR sensors and advanced precision flight control, which are used for navigation, surveillance, and targeting.

What are Kamikaze drones?

Kamikaze drones are crewless aerial vehicles loaded with explosives that can fly directly to tanks or units and explode on collision.
They are known as a “loitering munition” because they are capable of circling for some time in an area identified as a potential target and only striking once an enemy asset is identified.
They are small, portable and can be quickly launched.
They are designed to crash into a target and explode, detonating their warhead and destroying the drones in the process.
Their main advantage is that they are hard to detect and can be fired from a distance.