Ukrainian Armed Forces await shipment of Switchblade 600 kamikaze drones

FRIDAY, 28 OCTOBER 2022, 13:30

Ukraine has already received Switchblade 300 kamikaze drones from partners and is waiting for the latest Switchblade 600 drones.

Source: Yurii Ihnat, Spokesperson for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, at a briefing on 28 October

Quote: "Unmanned aircraft have become an integral element of military conflicts. We have Bayraktar TB2 strike UAVs. 

We also have kamikaze drones already, provided to us by our partners, and they are being used. 

And we are already waiting for the latest drone – we had the Switchblade 300, and our partners will be supplying us with several sets of Switchblade 600 attack UAVs. This is also the latest UAV, which has very powerful tactical and technical characteristics and, we hope, will prove itself in combat operations in Ukraine.  

Note: The Switchblade is a tactical strike unmanned aerial system developed by the American company AeroVironment, designed to defeat the enemy by self-destruction. It can be classified as a projectile aircraft, a kamikaze drone or a barrage munition.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have been using the Switchblade 300 drones since spring 2022.

Details: Ihnat added that there are also certain domestic developments in terms of unmanned aircraft, but so far Ukraine can only count on the help of partners. 

He noted that the Russian Federation uses kamikaze drones in waves according to the tasks they carry out, mostly at night. These drones can be shot down only by firearms equipped with radar systems. 

Since 13 September, Ukrainian defenders have already shot down more than 300 Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones. But there are also other UAVs. Ihnat added that Russia has ordered 2,400 Shahed-136 kamikaze drones, but it is unknown how many it has at its disposal now.

Ihnat recalled that Russia's missile attacks took place on 10-11 October, 17-18 October, and 22-23 October. A missile attack can happen on any day, so Ukrainians should stay vigilant. 

The Russians attack Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. On 10 October, 84 missiles were launched, 55 of which were Kh-101 and Kh-555, which are the most expensive. Russia still has a sufficient number of Kh-22s left. Ihnat added that the Russians may have thousands of S-300 missiles and they are used by the invaders to hit their targets. 

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!