Military action in Ukraine showed what the war would look like in the future. UAVs are widely used, as well as for reconnaissance and surveillance missions, and are suitable for the destruction of both armored vehicles and infantry.

How does a switchblade drone work?

Developed by California-based defense equipment manufacturer AeroVironment, the Switchblade kamikaze drone is an ammunition barrage. This new class of weapon can be used when needed, but only when the target is set.

The switchblade drone is equipped with GPS tracking functions. It weighs 2.5 kilograms and has an altitude of 150-4500 meters and a cruise speed of up to 100 km/h.

Management can be carried out at a distance of up to 10 km, but its small size limits airtime to 10 minutes.

Launched from a tubular ground control system, the Switchblade drone fires like a mortar, but then spreads its wings and the propeller directs the flight of the munitions in the direction desired by the operator. Its position is communicated to the operator via a video stream visible on the manual control panel.

The video disappears as the drone approaches the tank. This is because the drone will switch from normal flight mode to attack mode as the drone’s autopilot takes control and moves to the target using the warhead.

Depending on the Switchblade version used, the warhead could be a 40mm grenade or even a larger explosive. However, it does not completely destroy the tank, but does so much damage that it is impossible to perform a combat mission.