Explainer | Why Chinese military eyes will be on Ukraine test for Switchblade tank killer drones
- The latest Switchblade-600s donated by the US have several counterparts made in China, where their effectiveness will be watched with interest
- The Switchblades are portable and easy to operate, but a military expert says they are vulnerable to jamming like other small drones
The Switchblades have been designed to hover over a battlefield and search for targets, which they can hit with missile-like built-in warheads. They can be carried and operated by small teams, or even individual infantry soldiers.
The 300 model weighs just 2.5kg (5.5lbs) and fits in a backpack, while the larger and heavier Switchblade-600 carries a warhead powerful enough to destroy a tank, at a fraction of the cost of a missile with similar power.
According to manufacturer AeroVironment, the two models have a flying time of 15 and 40 minutes, respectively, and ranges of 10km and 40km.
Their electric engines make them almost silent and both models can be switched from preprogrammed flight to manual control via a touchscreen tablet. They can also abort an attack and re-target up to the last second.