Rare Footage Shows U.S.-Made Switchblade Drones in Action in Ukraine

New footage circulating online shows Ukrainian forces using U.S.-supplied Switchblade drones as Kyiv's counteroffensive gathers pace.

In the video, a Ukrainian drone operator can be seen preparing to launch the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) before the clip shows several shots from the vantage point of the loitering munition.

Newsweek could not independently verify the footage, and has contacted the Ukrainian Defense Ministry for comment via email.

Drones have played a prominent role in operations for both Kyiv and Moscow. Ukraine has committed to building a "drone army," and Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's internal affairs ministry, previously told Newsweek that "this war is a war of drones."

The U.S. has provided several types of drone to Ukraine in military aid packages, including the Switchblade, Phoenix Ghost and CyberLux K8 drones. The U.S. Defense Department has not specified how many Switchblade drones have been sent to Ukraine.

Although this is "not quite" the first appearance of footage of Switchblades coming out of Ukraine, it is "far and away the most we have seen, showing multiple engagements from the launch sequence onwards," according to military and defense expert, David Hambling.

Videos shared online as far back as May 2022 show Ukrainian troops using Switchblade suicide drones to target Russian forces.

Footage shows the Switchblade 300 to be "effective against personnel and unarmored vehicles," Hambling told Newsweek.

"It is not effective against armor, so while it was extremely suitable for the previous conflicts involving insurgents in pickup trucks, it is less suited for high-intensity conflict against an enemy with tanks, personnel carriers and self-propelled guns," Hambling said.

Back in August 2022, Samuel Bendett, of U.S. think tank the Center for Naval Analysis, said the Switchblades would "be instrumental as the Ukrainians are preparing their attack on Kherson and Crimea."

"They can be launched beyond the range of Russian systems and inflict damage on Russian infrastructure," Bendett told Defense News.

The Switchblade has been "shrouded in secrecy" since its introduction more than a decade ago, Hambling said. However, Ukraine has increased the number of battlefield drone videos it has released, which could be intended as a demonstration of the still-nascent counteroffensive succeeding, he added.

The two types of Switchblade drones, the 300 and the 600, are made by American defense contractor AeroVironment. The larger 600 model can travel for up to 40 minutes and has an anti-armor warhead meant for hardened targets that are further away, according to the manufacturer. It has a range of around 40 kilometers, or 25 miles.

The smaller 300 variant can fly for up to 15 minutes to a maximum range of around six miles.

But little has been seen of the U.S.-supplied Phoenix Ghost, also a loitering munition, which would be effective against armored targets, Hambling said.

Although failed strikes won't be publicized, the "number of hits on show, and the undoubted level of casualties they cause do indicate that this type of support to Ukraine is proving effective," Hambling added.