As part of a massive military aid package announced Wednesday, the Biden administration is providing Ukraine with U.S.-made killer drones — cutting-edge guided missiles that could accurately target Russian troops from miles away — two congressional officials briefed on the matter told NBC News.
The White House referred to the weapons in a fact sheet on the aid package as “100 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems.” NBC News reported exclusively Tuesday that this move was under consideration.
The outlet noted further that the U.S. had developed two variants of the weapon, the Switchblade 300 and the Switchblade 600, both of which have been purchased by U.S. Special Operations Command (SPECOP) from AeroVironment, the manufacturer, which is located in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. NBC News notes that the 300 model is used to target personnel with pinpoint accuracy, while the larger 600 version is used for tanks and other armored vehicles. The congressional officials who leaked the story to NBC News did not say which model is going to be provided to Ukraine -- or if both versions would be.
In December, NBC News reported on an exclusive demo of the 300 model but at the time, AeroVironment officials said the U.S. government barred them from demonstrating the capabilities of the 600 model. The network's report at the time explained just how this weapon works and, frankly, why Russian President Vladimir Putin will see it as an escalation action that is likely to bring repercussions for Americans.
"Some experts believe the spread of the semi-autonomous weapons will change ground warfare as profoundly as the machine gun did," NBC News noted in its December report.
"They can leapfrog traditional defenses to strike infantry troops anywhere on the battlefield, and they cost just $6,000 apiece, compared to $150,000 for the Hellfire missile typically fired by Predator or Reaper drones," the report continued. "That capability could help save the lives of U.S. troops, but it could also put them — and Americans at home — in great danger from terrorists or nation-states that haven’t previously had access to such lethal and affordable technology."
Shaan Shaikh, a missile expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, observed, “I think this is going to be the new IED,” or improvised explosive device. “It’s something that we can see that is going to be a problem, and we have some defenses, but not enough.”
Had Taliban and other opposing forces had such weapons in Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. military could not have fought and operated as they did for decades. The Kamikazes are battery-powered and designed to loiter overhead for a decent amount of time with operators waiting for the precise moment to strike. And with the 300 model being only about 20 inches long, they are extremely difficult to detect (or defend against).
What's more, U.S. Homeland Security officials are extremely concerned that such weapons will be deployed within the country by terrorist organizations who could literally take out elected officials, high-value infrastructure and other targets practically with impunity.
And don't think that Russia does not have the capability to manufacture such drones or get them smuggled into the U.S., thanks to Biden's literal open-border policies.
As horrific as the war in Ukraine is, for the U.S. and NATO to get involved in any way will not only prolong the misery but put our own countries in danger of retaliation by Putin using the same kind of weapons we are providing to Kyiv.
World War III may have already started and we just don't see it yet.
Sources include:
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