Aerovironment Switchblade-600 Drones Downed over Ukraine

Russian social media channels are showing images of one of many Aerovironment (AV) strike UAV "Switchblade-600" downed in Ukraine.

Several "Switchblade-600s" were successfully intercepted during the past week, pro-Russian Telegram channel, Russian Weapons reported.

"This drone was lost by the enemy, apparently due to the effective jamming of the UAV's GPS correction module as there are no visible damages on the hull indicating a strike by an anti-drone weapon," it said.

The Switchblade is said to be one of the most successful Western drones in Ukraine as the low-observable drone has a range of 90 km, according to Russian sources.

Despite the protected command and telemetry control channel and an autonomous target identification system based on optical and IR target signatures, this drone was lost indicting the superiority of Russian electronic warfare systems, the report said.

Aerovironment said in an April 2024 article posted on its website, “currently, thousands of AV unmanned systems, including Switchblades, are employed in Ukraine, successfully operating in the most demanding electronic warfare conditions, and effectively completing their missions. We have been gratified by overwhelming user feedback and demand for additional systems. AV solutions, employed by trained warfighters, are having positive effects on this highly complex battlefield.”