Ukraine may start production of highly effective American Switchblade 600 barrage munitions
Ukraine is looking to ramp up production of all kinds of drones to repel Russian aggression and may begin independent production of Switchblade 600 barrage munitions in the coming months.
Here's What We Know
The US company AeroVironment has signed an agreement with the Ukrainian side on localised production of the Switchblade 600 drone, which is an upgraded version of the Switchblade 300, effective in real combat operations.
In order for production to start, approval from the US government is required.
The project involves a phased cooperation, starting with the supply of subsystem components, followed by localisation of production in Ukraine.
Recall, Switchblade is a barrage munition equipped with an anti-tank warhead based on the Javelin missile. While it was originally designed to destroy heavy armoured vehicles, the Ukrainian army uses it to destroy stationary Russian air defence systems such as Pantsir and S-300.
The Switchblade 600 is launched from a portable tube and guided by a tablet-based guidance system, the munition can stay in the air for more than 40 minutes and has a range of 40 kilometres.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces praise the Switchblade 600 and the independent production of such a weapon would be a serious strengthening of Ukraine's capabilities on the battlefield.
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Source: Army Recognition