Explosive drones are said to be part of a ‘wishlist’ of American weapons sought by Kiev.
The Biden administration is weighing whether to send explosives-laden ‘Switchblade’ drones to Ukraine, NBC News reported on Wednesday. The aircraft, which can loiter above the battlefield before propelling themselves toward an enemy, are just one weapons system Kiev has petitioned the US for.
The drones, manufactured by Virginia defense contractor AeroVironment, come in two varieties: One that targets personnel and another that targets vehicles. Equipped with cameras, guidance systems, and explosives, the robotic bombs can fly up to 50 miles to strike a target, or can circle above a battlefield before dive-bombing an enemy below.
These “kamikaze” drones are significantly cheaper than larger and more sophisticated vehicles, and have a lower price tag than other single-use munitions that the US has supplied to Ukraine in recent weeks. A single Javelin launch system and missile costs $178,000, according to the Pentagon’s 2021 budget, while an anti-personnel Switchblade drone costs $6,000, NBC reported.
It is unclear how many of these drones the US has in its stockpile, how quickly they could be sent to Ukraine, and how much training Ukrainian soldiers would need to correctly operate them. So far, NBC reported, the UK is the only foreign country authorized to purchase the killer robots.
Congressional Republicans meanwhile wrote a letter to Biden and other administration officials on Tuesday, urging them to send to Kiev cash allocated for military aid “without delay,” and to include weapons from a “wish list” submitted by Zelensky.
READ FULL ARTICLE: https://www.rt.com/news/552073-us-kamikaze-drones-ukraine/
”ITS BAD ENOUGH BIDEN IS GIVING UKRAINE BILLIONS AND NOW THIS? SMH. COMMENT DOWN BELOW
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