Switchblade Kamikaze Drone-Armed Uncrewed Fast Boat Tested
11/02/2023
The U.S. Navy drone speedboat armed with Switchblade 300 loitering munitions was able to successfully destroy multiple mock targets at sea during a recent test. A combination like this could be useful in various contexts, including providing close-in protection against swarms of small crewed and uncrewed boats. This also underscores the Navy’s interest, as well as that of the U.S. Marine Corps, in various tiers of armed drone boats capable of carrying out defensiveandoffensive missions.
‘Critical’ Tank-Killer Switchblades Will Boost Ukraine’s Drone Stocks
10/11/2023
Ukraine is set to receive further deliveries of the Switchblade 600 suicide drone, according to its manufacturer, in a move that could boost Kyiv’s ability to take out Russian assets far behind the heavily fortified front lines.
Can American Switchblades Help Ukraine Win the War?
05/17/2023
In late April, a more powerful version of a U.S. drone made its appearance on the battlefields of Ukraine. It’s called the Switchblade 600, which is an upgraded version of the Switchblade 300. Khrystyna Shevchenko visited the drone production facility in Los Angeles and has this story. Camera: Dmytro Savchuk
Ukraine’s Next-Generation Drone Fleet Is Packed With Upgrades
03/01/2023
Ukraine’s effective use of drones was one of the revelations of the first year of the war, from Bayraktar TB2s hitting Russian convoys to quadcopter scouts to long-range loitering munitions, multicopter bombers and FPV kamikaze racing drones. Most significantly, drone artillery spotters have found targets and adjusted aim, multiplying Ukraine’s firepower, erasing Russia’s advantage in artillery and halting new advances. Ukraine is now committed to building an Army of Drones, putting more robots and fewer humans in the front lines. And in the second year of the war, Ukraine’s drone forces are getting upgrades in capability as well as numbers.
Switchblade kamikaze drone production to ramp up following Ukraine use
10/11/2022
WASHINGTON — AeroVironment, the maker of the Switchblade loitering munition Ukraine has used against Russia in recent months, is planning toramp up production of the heavier-duty version.
Ukraine has had repeated battlefield successes with the Switchblade 300 since the United States shipped it 400 of the lighter-weight loitering munition earlier this year, Charlie Dean, AeroVironment’s vice president of sales and business development, said in an interview with Defense News at the Association of the U.S. Army’s conference on Monday.
And with the larger, more powerful Switchblade 600 on its way to Ukraine — Dean said the first batch of 10 would likely be in the country in the next few weeks — and growing visibility and interest in the weapon, AeroVironment is making preparations to produce more.
Dean said Ukraine has “considerable interest” in getting and using the Switchblade 600. Today, AeroVironment can produce more than 2,000 Switchblade 600 systems annually; within a few months, he said, the company hopes to roughly triple that to about 6,000.
To do that, he added, the company is working to obtain more supplies to build the 600 version as well as adding new lines dedicated to the heavier-duty loitering munition.
Right now, he explained, AeroVironment only has one shift building the 600 systems, but could add a second shift if necessary.
AeroVironment showed off several systems in use by Ukraine, including the Switchblade 300, during the 2022 AUSA conference. (Stephen Losey/Staff)
Switchblade loitering munitions are essentially a combination of a reconnaissance drone and guided missile.
The smaller Switchblade 300 is small enough that a soldier can carry several in a backpack, set up its launching tube within a few minutes, and fire it off, with its folded wings snapping out like its namesake knife.
The soldier would then fly the 5.5-pound Switchblade 300 up to 10 kilometers, or about 6 miles, sweeping the area with the munition’s camera and looking for a target.
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