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interests / soc.history.war.misc / Inside the cutting-edge Switchblade drones the U.S. is shipping to Ukraine

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* Inside the cutting-edge Switchblade drones the U.S. is shipping toa425couple
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 `- Re: Inside the cutting-edge Switchblade drones - more info from aa425couple

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Inside the cutting-edge Switchblade drones the U.S. is shipping to Ukraine

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from
https://news.yahoo.com/inside-the-cutting-edge-switchblade-drones-the-us-is-shipping-to-ukraine-164754374.html

(I have a question, How large a 'target' could the
Switchblade 300, is less than 2 feet long, weighs 5.5 pounds
take out? A Fuel truck, sure. But a standard truck???
Or is it only for an individual in a foxhole?)

Inside the cutting-edge Switchblade drones the U.S. is shipping to Ukraine
Niamh Cavanagh
Niamh Cavanagh·Producer
Fri, March 18, 2022, 9:47 AM·3 min read

On Wednesday. the White House announced a new $800 million military
support package for Ukraine in a bid to help that country fight back
against the ongoing Russian invasion. Part of the aid package is for
cutting-edge aerial drones that experts say could prove exceedingly
lethal to Russian forces.

The list of weapons to be shipped, President Biden said, includes 9,000
anti-armor systems, 7,000 small arms and 100 tactical unmanned aerial
systems. A U.S. official later confirmed to ABC that the aerial systems
to be sent would be small Switchblade drones.

Manufactured by the California company AeroVironment, the drones come in
two variations: the Switchblade 600 and the 300. The latter is built to
hit at smaller and more precise targets; the 600 is built to strike
armored vehicles and tanks.

The 300 is less than 2 feet long, weighs 5.5 pounds and can fly up to 15
minutes. The larger drone weighs 50 pounds and can fly for 40 minutes
over a range of 25 miles. Both can be carried in a backpack and deployed
by individual soldiers. It has not been confirmed whether both models
will be included in the shipment.

Switchblade 600.
Switchblade 600 drone. (AeroVironment)
According to its manufacturer, the drones can cruise at around 65 mph
and come fitted with cameras and GPS systems. They are single-use, which
means they explode after striking their target and are not recoverable
after they have been launched. The Switchblades also have a “wave-off”
feature so that operators can abort a mission if civilians appear near
the target or if the enemy withdraws.

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“These were designed for U.S. Special Operations Command and are exactly
the type of weapons systems that can have an immediate impact on the
battlefield,” Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of
defense, told ABC News.

Ukraine’s drones have proved vital in carrying out successful attacks in
the early stages of the invasion. Jack Watling of the London-based Royal
United Services Institute told Euronews that Ukraine had used drones to
strike Russian forces before they were able to set up their air defenses
in the battlefield.

Watling went on to say that the Ukrainian army drones “have been
essentially flying in at a low level and then coming up and raiding with
them. So striking targets of opportunity.”

A senior defense official confirmed the Switchblades’ effectiveness for
Ukrainian forces by claiming that the drones would be useful in taking
out long-range Russian artillery as Russia ramps up the bombardment of
major cities in Ukraine.

An illustration of a Switchblade 600 drone launch. (AeroVironment)
An illustration of a Switchblade 600 drone launch. (AeroVironment)
"These tactical UAVs can be useful against Russian vehicles and
artillery," the official told reporters this week.

On Friday, the Times of London reported that an elite Ukrainian drone
unit had destroyed dozens of “priority targets” by attacking static
Russian forces as they slept. That specialist unit within the army,
named Aerorozvidka, has reportedly been striking vehicles, including
tanks and trucks, since the invasion began on Feb. 24.

“We strike at night, when Russians sleep,” Yaroslav Honchar, the unit’s
commander, said from his base in Kyiv.

The latest allocation of military aid came after Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky called on the West to “do more” in the fight against
Moscow's aggression when he addressed Congress on Wednesday. In his
speech, Zelensky invoked the horror of the 9/11 terror attacks as he
pleaded for more military aid.

_____
What happened this week in Ukraine? Check out this explainer from Yahoo
Immersive to find out.

Re: Inside the cutting-edge Switchblade drones - info from a Quora

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 by: a425couple - Sun, 20 Mar 2022 14:23 UTC

On 3/19/2022 4:23 PM, a425couple wrote:
> from
> https://news.yahoo.com/inside-the-cutting-edge-switchblade-drones-the-us-is-shipping-to-ukraine-164754374.html
>
>
> (I have a question, How large a 'target' could the
> Switchblade 300, is less than 2 feet long, weighs 5.5 pounds
> take out?  A Fuel truck, sure.  But a standard truck???
> Or is it only for an individual in a foxhole?)
>
> Inside the cutting-edge Switchblade drones the U.S. is shipping to Ukraine
> Niamh Cavanagh
> Niamh Cavanagh·Producer
> Fri, March 18, 2022, 9:47 AM·3 min read
>
> On Wednesday. the White House announced a new $800 million military
> support package for Ukraine in a bid to help that country fight back
> against the ongoing Russian invasion. Part of the aid package is for
> cutting-edge aerial drones that experts say could prove exceedingly
> lethal to Russian forces.
>
Jay Snead
retired researcher, amateur philosopher2h

What is so special about the Switchblade drones that the US is sending
to Ukraine that can be a game changer?
Not really a game changer, but a big help to an army that can’t call in
air strikes. They were developed for use by Special Forces who needed a
weapon in Afghanistan for threats for which it took too long call in a
air strike, They are electrically powered and quiet.

The Switchable 300 is tiny and carries a warhead about the size of a
grenade that can take out a vehicle or a gun emplacement. It can fly for
about 10 minutes and cover 20 miles. It’s like a grenade that you can
throw 20 miles. It costs $6,000.

The Switchblade 600 is bigger, over 100 pounds, but still “lugable” by
one man. It can fly abut 40 miles and has a warhead that can attack a
tank or a bunker. It costs about 70,000, so it must be used against
high-value targets.

5.1K viewsView 11 upvotesAnswer requested by
Luis Trigueiro

Re: Inside the cutting-edge Switchblade drones - more info from a Quora

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 by: a425couple - Wed, 23 Mar 2022 02:59 UTC

On 3/20/2022 7:23 AM, a425couple wrote:
> On 3/19/2022 4:23 PM, a425couple wrote:
>> from
>> https://news.yahoo.com/inside-the-cutting-edge-switchblade-drones-the-us-is-shipping-to-ukraine-164754374.html
>>
>>
>> (I have a question, How large a 'target' could the
>> Switchblade 300, is less than 2 feet long, weighs 5.5 pounds
>> take out?  A Fuel truck, sure.  But a standard truck???
>> Or is it only for an individual in a foxhole?)
>>
>> Inside the cutting-edge Switchblade drones the U.S. is shipping to
>> Ukraine
>> Niamh Cavanagh
>> Niamh Cavanagh·Producer
>> Fri, March 18, 2022, 9:47 AM·3 min read
>>
>> On Wednesday. the White House announced a new $800 million military
>> support package for Ukraine in a bid to help that country fight back
>> against the ongoing Russian invasion. Part of the aid package is for
>> cutting-edge aerial drones that experts say could prove exceedingly
>> lethal to Russian forces.
>>
> Jay Snead
> retired researcher, amateur philosopher2h
>
> What is so special about the Switchblade drones that the US is sending
> to Ukraine that can be a game changer?
> Not really a game changer, but a big help to an army that can’t call in
> air strikes. They were developed for use by Special Forces who needed a
> weapon in Afghanistan for threats for which it took too long call in a
> air strike, They are electrically powered and quiet.
>
> The Switchable 300 is tiny and carries a warhead about the size of a
> grenade that can take out a vehicle or a gun emplacement. It can fly for
> about 10 minutes and cover 20 miles. It’s like a grenade that you can
> throw 20 miles. It costs $6,000.
>
> The Switchblade 600 is bigger, over 100 pounds, but still “lugable” by
> one man. It can fly abut 40 miles and has a warhead that can attack a
> tank or a bunker. It costs about 70,000, so it must be used against
> high-value targets.
>
>
> 5.1K viewsView 11 upvotesAnswer requested by
> Luis Trigueiro
>
Matt LeBaron
·
Follow
Been there, done thatUpdated Sat
Is the switchblade drones Biden's sending a game changer? Are all tanks
at risk for Russia?
Yes, the Switchblade drones are a game changer and a huge threat to
tanks, though not for the reason you might imagine.

First, for a bit of background, the United States has announced that it
has sent 100 Switchblade systems to Ukraine as part of its recent $800MM
defense package. Reports indicate these are Switchblade 300s and that
each system consists of 10 munitions (for a total of 1000 munitions) and
a control system.

The Switchblade 300 is the original anti-personnel variant, with a very
small warhead. It is essentially a grenade-tipped drone, though the
grenade focuses its blast straight ahead, instead of in all directions.
This is because the system was originally intended to be able to take
out a single soft target - a person, car, or truck - while causing
minimal collateral damage. The Switchblade 300 (and its larger
Switchblade 600 anti-armor version) are single-use weapons, often
referred to as “loitering munitions” rather than drones.

So, why are these a game changer and why are all Russian tanks at risk?

Well, we have learned that the Achilles heel for the Russian invasion is
its inability to resupply its forces. Russian soldiers have limited food
and Russian tanks, APCs, and IFVs have limited fuel. The Switchblade 300
is the perfect weapon to leverage this existing weakness and eliminate
the ability of the Russian forces to engage in war-fighting.

Given the accuracy of these devices, a single Ukrainian soldier can
launch a Switchblade 300 and control it as a loitering munition for
about 15 minutes, flying it around 6 miles before guiding it straight
down into its target. The payload is small, about the size of a hand
grenade, so not enough to penetrate a main battle tank…but plenty to
take out a soft-skinned vehicle like a truck.

Now, imagine you are a Russian conscript driving a truck full of
artillery shells to the front line, part of a small convoy of 10 trucks
carrying fuel and ammunition. As you approach your drop off area,
something strikes the front of the ammo truck ahead of you and the cabin
explodes. The ammo itself thankfully doesn’t go up, but the truck is
wrecked.

Driving slowly past the wreckage you look in to see that a shell
apparently crashed through the driver’s windshield and exploded.
However, it couldn’t have been a Bayraktar TB2 drone, because that 65kg
warhead would have destroyed the truck entirely. In this case, just the
driver was killed and the truck incapacitated. It must have been a
one-in-a-million shot of something smaller. Such are the chances of war.

However, two minutes later, as you pull up to the position you’re
resupplying, one of the fuel trucks in your convoy goes up in a huge
ball of flame. You throw yourself out of your truck and into a ditch.
Clearly this must be artillery fire and you’ve been trained to get down.

But now you can hear it - the high-pitched whine of a drone. Lying on
your back you look up and see what looks like a small toy airplane
circling slowly several hundred feet above your position, just waiting.
It’s far too small for a SAM to hit, so a couple of soldiers begin
firing their AKs at it, but it’s too small to hit at that range.

Someone in charge begins yelling at you and the other drivers to start
unloading your shells, hooking fuel trucks up to vehicles, etc. One of
the other drivers gets up from his ditch, runs out to his truck, and
opens the back of it. You watch in horror as the drone dips down and
flings itself at that truck, racing downward and striking it in less
than 10 seconds, before even a single box of shells can be removed.

The small initial explosion is immediately followed by a series of huge
blasts as the shells detonate. A third driver has been killed and his
payload destroyed.

A soldier yells at you to start unloading your truck. You hear yourself
yelling back that you’ll do it only if he does it together with you.
There’s a moment’s pause as you look at each other before he lowers and
shakes his head, cursing.

With the fuel truck still burning, and ammo still popping off, at this
point the only thing that you and those around you care about is getting
out of there. Leaving behind the slow trucks with their deadly payload,
you pile into a small car with a few of your fellow soldiers and hit the
gas, heading back up the road you came, terrified that you think you
hear a high-pitched whine….

So, yes, in sufficient quantities I believe the Switchblade 300 is an
absolute game changer in the Ukrainian war. It essentially allows a
single Ukrainian soldier to precisely kill a soft-skinned vehicle
(and/or a Russian soldier) from about 6 miles away every 30 minutes or so.

While the success rate of the drone is unknown, even if it is just 50%
then the UAF could take out 500 supply vehicles with Switchblades in
just a few days. These weapons will also have a devastating impact to
the morale of the Russian army and as a result might even cripple the
resupply effort without having to kill all the vehicles.

I expect Switchblade Operator to become a favorite role of Ukrainian
soldiers, similar to the role of Bayraktar Drone Pilot. I also expect
Ukraine will be asking the US for another batch of 1000 munitions every
few days until the conflict is over. I’m not sure what the current US
stockpiles look like, or how quickly they can be manufactured, but I
wouldn’t bet against either US stockpiles or manufacturing.

In my opinion, if we get 10,000 munitions into Ukraine - 10x the
original shipment - then I don’t see how the Russian army could continue.

For more, check out my answer to Will Putin win the war?

(which is here:)

Matt LeBaron
Been there, done thatFeb 26
Will Putin win the war?
Putin’s war may be the most glaring example of a failure to read the
room in history. This post outlines one possible scenario for the war in
Ukraine. It was written on February 26th and edited on February 27th.

Do you think this is possible or have I missed the mark? Comments welcome!

On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated an invasion of neighboring
Ukraine with dozens of missiles and air strikes, amphibious and airborne
assaults.

To minimize civilian casualties, early Russian targets were mostly
military, with some notable exceptions. Ukrainian military forces fought
back effectively, slowing the Russian advance with heavy use of Javelin
anti-tank missiles and by destroying bridges and roads opportunistically.

President Zelenskyy of Ukraine very publicly remained in the capital of
Kyiv, rallying his nation and calling on all men to defend their people.
Ukrainian men and some women across the country answered that call,
lining up to receive weapons and preparing to defend themselves by
joining local militias.

Meanwhile, photographs and videos of the conflict, of civilian
casualties, and of fleeing refugees flooded social media. As a result,
the vast majority of nations across the globe spoke out against Putin
and against the invasion of Ukraine. Within four days of the attack,
Russia was hit with heavy sanctions, cyber attacks, banned from the
SWIFT financial system, and blocked from entering the airspace of a
great many European countries.


Click here to read the complete article
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