Ukraine could receive further supplies of the deadly Switchblade 600 suicide drones, which will help to boost Kyiv’s defense capabilities.
Charlie Dean, vice president of global business development and marketing at defense contractor AeroVironment told Newsweek that the Switchblade 600 is “tremendously important to the defense of Ukraine.”
The Ukrainian military currently have a larger number of the smaller Switchblade 300 suicide drones, compared to the larger Switchblade 600 model drone, but “that will soon change,” he added.
The US has provided Ukraine with a “very large number” of Switchblade 300s, Dean said, adding that “they were quickly used on the battlefield for their intended purpose.
He said, “The 600s are also being used in Ukraine, and those quantities are adding up quickly in the country.
“The 300s continue to outnumber the 600s presently, but that will soon change.”
The US has provided several types of drones to the Ukrainian military as part of their military assistance, including Switchblade and Phoenix Ghost loitering munitions.
Switchblades, also used by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, appeared in footage coming out of Ukraine, but the Pentagon did not reveal exactly how many were sent.
In response to a request from Newsweek, the Pentagon said it could not provide any additional details about “the specific quantities or types of weapons, systems and equipment provided to our Ukrainian partners” beyond publicly available information.
The US Defense Department “will continue to support Ukraine with the means to defend itself in the near term and deter against further aggression,” spokesperson Jeff Jurgensen added in a statement.
