Timing of US drone delivery to Ukraine revealed — RT World News

A contract to supply ten « suicide drones » to Ukraine, which was announced months ago, is expected within 30 days, Defense News reported Monday, citing a Pentagon spokesperson.

The actual delivery date for the weapons, the Switchblade 600 roam munitions, also known as « suicide drones, » will be determined after the contract is finalized, the representative, Jessica Maxwell, said in an email, according to the military information site.

A roving munition is a type of drone that has built-in explosive payloads. They scout for a target, then crash into it to deal damage.

The United States sent the smaller and lighter Switchblade 300 drones produced by AeroVironment to Ukraine in a number of weapons packages. The Pentagon also said in early April that it wanted to deliver ten of the heaviest and longest models, but no shipments have been made so far.

According to Defense News, the delay was partly due to the fact that the Switchblade 600 is still in the prototype phase and needs to undergo evaluation before being put into service.

Last month, Ukrainian Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov called on countries arming his country to send new advanced weapons systems so they can be tested in real combat.

“We share all information and experiences with our partners. We are interested in testing modern systems in the fight against the enemy and we invite arms manufacturers to test their new products here,” Reznikov said at the time.

The Switchblade 300 is considered an anti-personnel weapon, has a range of 10 km and a battery life of ten minutes, according to the producer. The heavier 600 version was designed for use against armored targets, can travel up to 40 km and stay airborne for up to 20 minutes.

The drones were touted as a portable tool for US patrols ambushed in Afghanistan, an affordable and faster alternative to calling in air support.

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