solarz
Brigadier
That's pretty much what I thought when they first introduced it as a drone that you can fit in a backpack.
The War in the Ukraine
- Thread starter SampanViking
- Start date
That's pretty much what I thought when they first introduced it as a drone that you can fit in a backpack.
For comparison sake. This is what the Iranian drone looks like.
Now compare it to a switchblade. The size is in a different class.
Now compare it to a switchblade. The size is in a different class.
There might also be OPSEC requirements from the US side, it's one of the relatively new piece of equipment that's been given after all. Or they are just getting swatted out of the sky via EW, not enough information to know.
I'm actually expect more radars or air defense site got disabled or destroyed by switchblade attacks but it seems it never the case.
How is Ukrainian electric warfare?
if I'm not mistaken the Russians have multiple tools to confuse and disable the Ukrainian drone data link.
seems that switchblade drones are not that easy to use and that have forced Ukrainians to use modified DJI drones or other commercial ones.
They also a bit costly, i guess for the price of one those you can buy ton of cheap drones on Alibaba and modify them to carry bombs or
buy a big gas powered rc plane:
fit it with a nice autopilot:
A ton of explosive and you have a maneuverable cruise missile.
Right, but could a shell loiter over a predetermined area, waiting for targets?
Wow. This is basically equivalent of USSR losing a SMK prototype in Finland during Winter War. Sad.
Yep so it's just another tool in the box.
Dumb shells guided by drone and observers: huge firepower volume aimed at static areas within 5-50 km, fast response time
Guided rockets depending on size: moderate firepower volume aimed at moderate ranged (50-300 km) area targets, very fast response time
Loitering munition drones: small firepower volume aimed at point targets at long range (500-1000 km), slow response time
Lugansk is about to conduct a referendum on officially joining the Russian Federation as a new territory.
Steps like this will increase the ante for ant future Ukrainian incursions into these areas. It feels like this may be used as the excuse for changing this SMO into an official war and tactics along with it, as any offensives will be seen as an offensive into Russian territory.
Just more complicating the already complicated and difficult to follow circus show
I mean, this is assuming anyone in the Russian Federation is actually paying attention to this SMO and by some chance they happen to notice that LPR has become part of Russia but I won't hold my breath
Want more troops, this is a path to more troops.
Steps like this will increase the ante for ant future Ukrainian incursions into these areas. It feels like this may be used as the excuse for changing this SMO into an official war and tactics along with it, as any offensives will be seen as an offensive into Russian territory.
Just more complicating the already complicated and difficult to follow circus show
I mean, this is assuming anyone in the Russian Federation is actually paying attention to this SMO and by some chance they happen to notice that LPR has become part of Russia but I won't hold my breath
Want more troops, this is a path to more troops.
Last edited:
Ah, the old OPSEC excuse for why Ukrainians aren't providing any evidence for their claims. OPSEC has nothing to do with it. Ukrainians have posted a few videos of switchblades in action (many of them missing). If they had more they'd release more.
I think it's a few factors, the build quality seems poor (remember the wood screws hold it together), it's difficult to operate (hence the misses) and the warhead size is too low.