Ukrainian Soldiers Trained in U.S. To Use Switchblade Drones

A shipment of the short-range piloted drones equipped with munitions arrived in Ukraine earlier this week, a Pentagon official said.

Kimberly Johnson

Thursday, April 07, 2022 at 04:09 PM ET

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U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Isiah Enriquez launches a Switchblade Drone during a training exercise at Camp Lejeune, N.C., July 7, 2021. [U.S. Marine Corps file photo]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. has sent 100 "kamikaze" Switchblade drones to Ukraine and provided rapid training (approximately two days) to a small number of Ukrainian soldiers on their use.
Switchblade UAVs are precision, single-use "loitering munitions" designed to augment Ukraine's existing tactical drone capabilities.
This drone shipment is part of the U.S.'s broader military assistance to Ukraine, which has exceeded $1.7 billion since the Russian invasion began.

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The U.S. has trained a small number of Ukrainian soldiers to use Switchblade unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the “kamikaze” tactical aerial drones sent to the war-ravaged country as part of a military assistance package, according to a Pentagon official.

A shipment of 100 Switchblade UAVs, announced several weeks ago and supplied from U.S. military stock, arrived in Ukraine earlier this week, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Wednesday.