US to Send Advanced 'Killer Drones' to Ukraine

Capable of flying over 39 km and tracking targets for 40 minutes
Also equipped with a heavy armor-piercing warhead for attack

Switchblade 600 Series
(Source: AeroVironment Inc.)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Bloomberg reported on the 5th (local time) that the United States plans to send the latest war 'killer drones' to Ukraine.

The report, citing multiple sources, explained that the U.S. Department of Defense will provide an additional 10 units of the latest Switchblade 600 series drones to Ukraine, which are more advanced than the existing Switchblade 300 series. These drones will be included in approximately $300 million (about 366 billion KRW) worth of military supplies.

The Switchblade drones are suicide drones equipped with bombs to attack targets, and the drones being delivered this time can fly longer and have improved attack capabilities compared to the previous models.

Weighing about 50 pounds (22.7 kg), they can fly 24 miles (39 km) for 40 minutes while carrying a warhead. Additionally, they use a tablet-based touchscreen fire control system that allows manual missile guidance.

The previously supplied 300 series could track targets for up to 15 minutes over about 6 miles and weighed only 3.3 pounds, making them lightweight. Therefore, they were mainly used for attacking people or vehicles. Unlike the existing lightweight drones, which were part of the U.S. stockpiled military supplies, the 600 series was specially produced for support to Ukraine.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, since the Biden administration took office, the U.S. has announced military support plans worth $2.3 billion for Ukraine, of which $1.6 billion was provided after Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.