Switchblade 600 drone hits Russian UAV crew
5 November, 2024 Switchblade 600 by AeroVironment. Photo credits: Aaron Mehta/Breaking Defense The Ukrainian Defense Forces hit a Russian UAV crew with a US Switchblade 600 kamikaze drone.
The press service of the 14th Separate Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Regiment published the video on Telegram. The regiment's operators discovered the location of the enemy's Supercam reconnaissance drone in one of the frontline areas. The Russians were trying to leave their position, but they failed as the Switchblade 600 hit their cluster.
After detecting the Russian UAV operators, the Ukrainian military tracked the invaders' possible movements to adjust the kamikaze drone's flight route. After the Switchblade 600 exploded, some of the Russian soldiers scattered in different directions, probably injured and wounded. Several invaders remained lying on the ground.
The defeat of the Russian UAV crew.
Fall of 2024. Footage from the video of the 14th Separate Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Regiment
"We are working 24/7 to ensure that the enemy does not escape just punishment!" the 14th Separate Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Regiment emphasized. Previously, Ukrainian defenders in the Donetsk region also destroyed a Russian Tor SAM using a Switchblade 600 kamikaze drone.
Switchblade 600
The drone can stay in the air for 40 minutes and travel 40 km during this time, as well as barrage in the air.
Their maximum flight speed is 185 km/h. The Switchblade 600 has a powerful warhead, which allows it to destroy heavy armored vehicles, particularly tanks.
Illustration by AeroVironment: Switchblade 600 strikes a Russian T-72B3 tank
The drone is launched from a tubular launcher, significantly reducing deployment time and allowing it to be launched from any location.
Switchblade 600. Photo from open sources
In 2022, the U.S.
Department of Defense awarded the industry a £17.8 million contract to produce and ship the Switchblade drones to Ukraine.
In October 2024, Militarnyi reported that the American company AeroVironment had signed an agreement with a Ukrainian company to localize the Switchblade 600.