What is Switchblade 600?

About Switchblade 600 kamikaze  drone:

• The Switchblade 600 kamikaze drone is a man-portable tube-launched loitering munition developed and designed by the US company AeroVironment.
• It is an upgraded version of Switchblade 300 fitted with an ATGM (Anti-Tank Guided Missile), designed to neutralize tanks and heavy armored vehicles.
• It aims to provide precision optics for destroying targets in a direct downward strike.
• Features:
• It can fly, track and engage non-line-of-sight targets and armored vehicles with precision lethal effects without the need for external ISR(Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance)  or fire assets.
• It has a range of over 40km and has more than 40 minutes of flight endurance.
• It is powered by an electric battery and propeller. 
• It is equipped with high-resolution EO/IR sensors and advanced precision flight control, which are used for navigation, surveillance, and targeting.

What are Kamikaze drones?

• Kamikaze drones are crewless aerial vehicles loaded with explosives that can fly directly to tanks or units and explode on collision. 
• They are known as a “loitering munition” because they are capable of circling for some time in an area identified as a potential target and only striking once an enemy asset is identified.
• They are small, portable and can be quickly launched.
• They are designed to crash into a target and explode, detonating their warhead and destroying the drones in the process. 
• Their main advantage is that they are hard to detect and can be fired from a distance.

Q1) What are EO/IR sensors?

EO/IR (Electro-Optical/Infra-Red) systems are imaging systems used for military or law enforcement applications which include both visible and infrared sensors. Because they span both visible and infrared wavelengths, EO/IR systems provide total situational awareness both day and night and in low light conditions.

Source: U.S. commits $2 billion in drones, ammunition, aid to Ukraine

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