United to win: American AeroVironment plans to produce Switchblade 600 ammunition in Ukraine
Switchblade 600 kamikaze drone made by AeroVironment. Photo: video screenshot
The Ukrainian company has entered into an agreement with the American company AeroVironment for the localization of the Switchblade 600.
According to "Militarnyi," the contract was signed at the International Forum of Defense Industries on October 1 in Kyiv.
As noted in the publication, the Ukrainian signatory company is not named for security reasons.
Brett Hush, senior vice president and general manager of AeroVironment's barrage strike systems division, noted that cooperation with the Ukrainian company will be phased.
"It's going to start with, essentially, sub-system components being shipped… So, it's going to start with a straightforward integration. And then over time, we'll localize more and more systems and improve the complex so that it's better than it is today," he explained.
The US government must approve the agreement, and both countries are working on it. It will likely take approximately nine months to finalize. The potential number of future productions has not been disclosed. However, Brett Hush mentioned that they expect to produce several thousand Switchblade 600s yearly.
He pointed out that the Ukrainian military is not utilizing the Switchblade 600 barrage munition as originally intended. These weapons were initially supplied to American special forces for carrying out unconventional warfare and targeting mobile objectives.
Switchblade 600 hits a Russian T-72B3 tank. Photo: Illustration by AeroVironment
The Ukrainian military uses this weapon to destroy targets worth 20-25 million dollars, for example, the Pantsir or S-300 air defense systems.
"There are some impressive open-source videos. What I think is really important is that even though this is an anti-tank missile, the same one used in the Javelin, it is not used in Ukraine against tanks. The Russians can regularly replace tanks. But they can't replace expensive air defense systems because there is a limited number of technicians to work with electronics," Brett Hush said.
A representative of AeroVironment also noted that the company is working on simplifying the Switchblade's operation. Brett Hush pointed out that different departments have given mixed reviews of the application's effectiveness. However, training, which must be carried out directly in Ukraine, can improve the result.
"Currently, according to US policy, training is carried out outside Ukraine. So the operators have to go to Poland, where we have the right to conduct training or other places outside Ukraine. We are trying to lobby our government to get permission for instructors to come to Ukraine. I have a few people now, but they can only listen and get feedback. I think it will make a big difference if we simplify the process," Brett Hush added.
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It should be noted thatthe Franco-German defense company KNDS has also established a branch in Kyiv, where it will maintain and repair its equipment, such as Leopard tanks, CAESAR artillery systems, PzH 2000 howitzers, and Gepard anti-aircraft tanks.
It is worth adding that Ukraine and Belgium plan to establish joint weapons production.
It was previously reported that the German arms concern Rheinmetall AG signed a memorandum with Ukraine to expand strategic cooperation. The memorandum aims to define and develop further directions for closer collaboration.
Even earlier, it was reported that "Ukroboronprom" State Company and the Polish company Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa would jointly produce tank shells of 125 mm caliber. Ukraine and Poland signed the corresponding agreement on April 5 this year.
In addition, Ukraine and one of the NATO countries began to produce 122-mm artillery shells. The first batch of ammunition has already been sent to the front.
JSC Ukrainian Defense Industry also signed a memorandum of cooperation with the leading German company Dynamit Nobel Defense.
In addition, the joint-stock company Ukrainian Defense Industry signed a Memorandum of Intent to create a joint venture with Amentum Services of the United States of America.
