Sam Cranny-Evans

Sam Cranny-Evans is a research analyst at RUSI. His Twitter handle is @Sam_Cranny

Can the Switchblade drone win the war for Ukraine?

From our UK edition

The United States is sending a new weapon to Ukraine in the fight against Russia: the Switchblade drone. At least 100 of the loitering munitions (LMs) are being shipped from the US as part of an $800 million (£600 million) package of military aid. Switchblade, which is launched from a tube and is about the size of a baguette, is fitted with an explosive warhead. An operator flies the drone into an area of interest before detecting, identifying and attacking a target with lethal effect. Can it help win the war for Ukraine? Designed and manufactured by California-based AeroVironment, there are multiple variants of the Switchblade drone. Initially, it seems most likely the Switchblade 300, a smaller variant of the drone, will be sent to Ukraine.