Drone expert calls U.S. Switchblade 600 a last-generation machine

The Switchblade 600 drone is an American-made barrage munition, which is inferior to the Russian Lancet in a number of characteristics, as it is a drone of the past generation. This opinion was shared by Maxim Kondratyev, founder of the training center for unmanned aviation, corresponding member of the Russian Engineering Academy, in a conversation with Izvestia on November 26.

"During its development, the main stake was placed on its mobility and the possibility of carrying several vehicles by one serviceman. Accordingly, we had to sacrifice certain technical characteristics, including range. <...> It is significantly inferior to the Russian "Lancet" in its characteristics of range, flight time and mass of the warhead. This is the past generation of tactical barrage munitions, developed 13 years ago," he specified.

In addition, the interlocutor added, the Switchblade 600, unlike the Lancet, is not equipped with elements of machine vision, which is used for more effective guidance and countermeasures against trench REB.

According to Kondratyev, the Switchblade 600's radius of application is limited to 40 kilometers, due to which it is used mainly on the line of contact. The Switchblade 600 weighs 23 kg and can be equipped with various warheads, to target manpower or armored vehicles. This device has a cylindrical fuselage, in the nose and tail parts of four identical half-wings, power plant - an electric motor with an air propeller, that is, the expert emphasized, it is not a reactive unmanned system.

"Given its very high cost and small technical characteristics, including the characteristics of combat application, it is very little sold, it is in demand mainly in NATO countries. Several countries have it in service: the US, the UK, Ukraine and Lithuania. In the special operation zone, these drones are supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine by the Americans," Kondratyev said.

Earlier, on September 13, military expert Anatoliy Matviychuk told Izvestia that military equipment transferred by the West to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) turns out to be ineffective on the battlefield for a number of reasons. Thus, he explained, the American equipment was prepared for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. And now it is up against a largely superior army of the same model.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine against the backdrop of Russia's special operation to protect Donbass, which was announced on February 24, 2022, after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military. However, the West has recently been increasingly vocal about the need to reduce support for Kiev.