According to CCTV News, on March 16, local time, Russia and Ukraine have prepared a ceasefire withdrawal plan to be implemented under the premise of Maintaining Neutrality and Disarmament in Ukraine. On the same day, the head of the Russian delegation, Mezinsky, said that the progress of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations is difficult and slow, but Russia hopes to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine as soon as possible.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the Eisenhower Executive Building in Washington, D.C., on March 16
According to the report, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said on the 16th that russia believes that the United States has no intention of ending the Ukraine crisis as soon as possible. Later in the day, U.S. President Joe Biden gave a public speech at the White House announcing $800 million in additional military aid to Ukraine, bringing the total amount of U.S. security assistance to Ukraine pledged over the past week to $1 billion.
As part of the $800 million military assistance program, the list of weapons aid released by the White House on the 16th includes 800 sets of "Stinger" anti-aircraft missiles, 2,000 sets of "Javelin" anti-tank missiles, 6,000 sets of AT-4 anti-tank rocket launchers, thousands of rifles and 100 sets of "tactical unmanned aerial vehicle systems" and other equipment. The White House said the military equipment would be handed over directly by the U.S. Department of Defense to the Ukrainian army.
On October 23, 2019, the U.S. Marine Corps practiced launching the SpringBlade 300 drone
Foreign media reported on the 16th that a senior official of the US Department of Defense revealed to the media that the 100 sets of unmanned aerial vehicle systems are actually killer drone "Switchblade". According to CCTV News reported today, the United States will supply Ukraine with 100 "switchblade" explosive drones.
"Smart Bomb" with Camera
The U.S. military has used it in Afghanistan and Syria before
According to the Observer Network, Biden specifically mentioned in his speech on the 16th that these drones are the "most sophisticated and perfect" weapon systems in the United States, but he did not mention the specific models of these weapons. Foreign media reported on the 16th that a senior official of the US Department of Defense anonymously revealed to the media that the tactical drones in the military assistance package plan are actually dive-bombing and suicide drones "spring knives" made by the US company "AeroVironment".
On September 24, 2021, the U.S. Marine Corps used the SpringBlade 300 drone for training
According to previous reports, the "spring knife" is called a hybrid of unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles, which can be like a drone in the enemy area after circling back reconnaissance images, and then explode like a missile during the mission. Its manufacturer, Aviation Environment, has said that a "switchblade" powered by a small electric motor can transmit video in real time. Once the target is identified, the operator can transmit the command to the drone hovering in the air, so that it has ammunition ready and locks the trajectory of the target. The company also said it was "a portable weapon that can be carried around and performs precision strike missions outside the viewable area with minimal side effects."
The "Switchblade 300" drone weighs only 2.5 kg and is small enough to fit in a backpack
According to the official website of the drone manufacturer "Aviation Environment", the most "mini" "Spring Knife 300" type drone is 24 inches (about 61 centimeters) long and weighs only 2.5 kilograms, which is small enough to fit into a backpack. Often used for precision strikes, this small drone can be launched with only one catheter, and the wings can be quickly deployed after liftoff and can fly for 15 minutes. Another larger type of "Spring Knife 600" is designed to destroy tanks and armored vehicles, weighing about 22.7 kilograms and can fly for more than 40 minutes.
The "spring knife" drone can be operated manually or autonomously, providing live video to the operator
"These weapons are designed for U.S. Special Operations Command and are the kind of weapon systems that can have an immediate effect on the battlefield." Former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Mick Malroy, who stepped down in 2019, said. It is reported that the nickname of "Spring Knife" includes "individual cruise missile" and mini "kamikaze" unmanned aerial vehicle, etc., and the US military has been "quietly using" in targeted strike operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria for many years. Qianlong.com China Capital Network previously reported that as of January 2016, the US military had used more than 4,000 "switchbladds" in Afghanistan.
The "Spring Knife 600" drone weighs about 22.7 kg and can last more than 40 minutes
In September last year, manufacturer Aviation Environment received a $20.3 million contract from U.S. Special Operations Command to upgrade the missile system of the Spring Blade 600 UAV, with deliveries scheduled for january 2023. It is reported that before the White House officially released the list of weapons assistance, two congressional officials revealed that the Military Assistance planned by the Biden administration to provide to Ukraine included the "Spring Knife" series of drones. Aviation Environment shares rose 9.8% to $81.47 per share on the 16th, the highest level since November 29 last year.
Low-cost, lightweight "killer"
Faster than a Turkish drone, or can penetrate Russian air defense systems
Foreign media reported that the "Spring Knife 300" and "Spring Knife 600" drones both use on-board sensors and global positioning systems (GPS) to guide them to the target. At the same time, both models have an "evacuation" function, that is, the drone operator can abort the attack as soon as there are civilians or enemies near the target and begin to retreat. As a disposable weapon, the cost of the "Spring Knife" series of drones is relatively low. It is estimated that the price of each missile loaded by the "Spring Knife 300" is as low as $6,000. In contrast, the U.S. military's MQ-1 Predator drone typically fires an $150,000 AGM-114 anti-tank missile, Hellfire.
The Switchblade drone is a tactical missile system that can be rapidly deployed and does not expose combatants
In terms of portability, both the "Spring Knife 300" and "Spring Knife 600" UAVs can be installed in a few minutes and can be launched through a conduit. Meanwhile, the Switchblade drone is said to be "much faster" than the Turkish military drone, the Bairaktar-TB2, and it may be able to penetrate the air defense systems of the Russian army. Red Star News previously reported that this Turkish military drone has become one of the focal points in the Confrontation between Russia and Ukraine. In the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Ukraine used this Turkish drone to accurately strike Russian tanks and other equipment. (Related report: Reappearing Turkish drones in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict How does this "fierce role" affect conflicts around the world? ）
Turkey Bayraktar TB2 drone Infographic
According to foreign media reports, the above-mentioned senior US Defense Department officials did not disclose to the media the specific models of the 100 UAVs that the United States will provide soon, and there are still many problems in the equipment handover process, such as the number of missile stocks in the US arsenal, the speed of drone production in the manufacturer's "aviation environment", and the training that Ukrainian soldiers need to carry out UAV operations.
However, there are reports that the inclusion of "tactical drones" in military assistance programs for Ukraine means that the weapons and equipment provided by the United States to Ukraine have entered a "new phase". Previously, the United States had mainly shipped anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons to it. According to McCall, the chief Republican member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives, the United States is "cooperating with allies" to ship more Russian-made S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Ukraine so that the Ukrainian army can get started without receiving too much training. Slovakia has tentatively agreed to hand over their S-300 missile system to Ukraine, according to foreign media reports.
Red Star News reporter Hu Yiling
Edited by Guo Yu
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