KIEV (Realist English). The Pentagon trained a small group of Ukrainian military personnel in the United States to work with Switchblade kamikaze drones, which Washington had already sent to the Kiev regime. These drones are designed to hunt for both aerial and ground targets, CNBC reports.
According to the TV channel, a small number of Ukrainian soldiers departed the United States recently after receiving weeks of side-by-side training with American service members. The Ukrainian troops were participating in a pre-scheduled training at the Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School, a program run by the U.S. Special Operations Command, in Biloxi, Mississippi, prior to the start of the special operation of the Russian Armed Forces in the Ukraine on February 24.
“Deploying Switchblades to the fight in Ukraine could be the most significant use of the weapons in combat, as it is not clear how often the U.S. military has used the killer drones on the battlefield.” says CNBC.
The “kamikaze” drones Switchblades 600 are equipped with cameras, navigation systems and guided explosives. The weapons can be programmed to strike targets that are miles away automatically, or can loiter above a target until engaged by an operator to strike.
Earlier, Bloomberg reported that the White House was working to increase the supply of weapons to Ukraine and was examining the mechanism for training the Ukrainian military abroad.
In early April, the United States approved the transfer to the Ukraine of thousands of Stinger and Javelin complexes, Switchblade drones and 50 million rounds of ammunition. Since February 24, Washington’s total assistance to the regime in Kiev has amounted to approximately $1.7 billion.
The list of American weapons for Ukraine includes:
- Over 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft systems
- Over 5,000 Javelin anti-armor systems
- Over 7,000 other anti-armor systems
- Hundreds of Switchblade Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems
- Over 7,000 small arms
- Over 50,000,000 rounds of ammunition
- 45,000 sets of body armor and helmets
- Laser-guided rocket systems
- Puma Unmanned Aerial Systems
- Four counter-artillery and counter-unmanned aerial system tracking radars
- Four counter-mortar radar systems
- Armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles
- Night vision devices, thermal imagery systems, and optics
- Tactical secure communications systems
- Commercial satellite imagery services
- Explosive ordnance disposal protective gear
- Medical supplies to include first aid kits.
