The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) used US-made Switchblade 600 unmanned aerial vehicle for the first time in an attack on Russian territory, Shot Telegram channel reports.
The attack was conducted the day before, on November 25. Russian servicemen spotted the enemy drone over the Rylsky district of the Kursk region and shot it down from a rifle.
The examination of the drone wreckage revealed that it was a Switchblade 600, a tactical loitering munition developed by US-based company AeroVironment. The drone was carrying a warhead from the American FGM-148 Javelin ATGM missile. Such drones are launched from a mortar-like transport and launch container. The UAV operator can control the vehicle for tens of kilometers.
The Switchblade 600 kamikaze drone carries an armour-piercing warhead weighing 15 kilograms. The vehicle develops a speed of up to 185 kilometers per hour and has a flight duration of up to 40 minutes.
Previously, the Armed Forces of Ukraine used only the Switchblade 300, a small portable kamikaze drone. Both models have foldable wings, which makes it possible to carry the UAV in a compact launch container and quickly prepare it for use.