US sends 100 switchblade drones to Kyiv, says training Ukrainian troops to use weapons

In a bid to support Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia, the Biden administration has now sent at least 100 switchblade drones to the Ukrainian military, a US Defense Department official told CNN. "They’ll be getting into Ukraine quickly if they aren’t already there," added the official. Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that the US defence officials were in contact with the Ukrainian military. Also, Kirby said that the US defence officials have trained some of the Ukrainian soldiers, who have been in Washington since the fall in professional military education programs, on weapons systems that are new to them. He said that the trained Ukrainian soldiers will assist others after returning to the battlefield in Ukraine.

What are Switchblade drones? 

According to AeroVironment, the company that manufactures the lethal weapon said the drones come in two sizes called-- Switchblade 300 and Switchblade 600. Switchblade 300 is the ideal loitering missile for use against beyond-line-of-sight targets. Backpackable and rapidly deployable from air, sea or ground platforms, Switchblade 300 delivers increased warfighter lethality with real-time GPS coordinates and video for precise targeting with low collateral effects, as per the description mentioned by the manufacturer. The Switchblade 600 is the next generation extended-range loitering missile that delivers unprecedented RSTA support and has high-precision optics. According to AeroVironment, Switchblade 600 includes everything required to successfully plan and execute missions and can be set up and operational in less than 10 minutes.

US approves $100 million in military aid 

Earlier on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden approved $100 million worth of military assistance to Ukraine. Though it was announced by the Pentagon press secretary John Kirby during a press conference on Tuesday, an official who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter, said that the amount will be spent for the transfer of the Javelin anti-armour missiles to the war-torn country. Meanwhile, Kirby, without disclosing the details of the latest military aid, said that the new equipment will meet an urgent Ukrainian need for additional military equipment. 

(Image: Twitter/@AeroVironment/AP)