Newest tank-killing Switchblade drones headed to Ukraine from U.S., defense secretary says

Ukrainian soldier walking past destroyed Russian tanks
(Image credit: SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

The $300 million lethal aid package for Ukraine that the Pentagon announced Friday will include the latest Switchblade combat drones, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed Tuesday.

According to Bloomberg, the White House previously announced a shipment of "series 300" Switchblade drones, which weigh 3.3 pounds, can fly about six miles and stay aloft for about 15 minutes, and are "designed to attack personnel and light vehicles" with a warhead roughly equivalent to a 40mm grenade.

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Writing for The Spectator on Tuesday, Sam Cranny-Evans explains that the Switchblade-300 "is launched from a tube," is "about the size of a baguette," and "is fitted with an explosive warhead," noting that the warhead on the Switchblade-600 is the same one used by Javelin anti-tank missiles.

For both models, the "operator flies the drone into an area of interest before detecting, identifying, and attacking a target with lethal effect," Cranny-Evans added. Switchblade drones are sometimes referred to as "kamikaze drones" because they crash into their targets and explode on contact.

Grayson Quay

Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-GazetteModern AgeThe American ConservativeThe Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.