Make sense, given what I’m guessing the targets might be.

“Weighing just 5½ pounds, including its small warhead, the Switchblade can be taken into battle in a backpack and fly up to 7 miles to hit a target. The 300 model is designed to kill individuals, while a larger version, the 600, can destroy armored vehicles. AeroVironment isn’t yet allowed to show the bigger one to the public.”

So, a 300 would be too small to be effective against anything other than troops in the open. It also sounds like a 600 is still much much smaller than a hellfire.

I saw a switchblade close up 10 years ago during AEWE at Ft. Benning. It was really small, so maybe a predecessor to the 300.

100 of these is nothing. They need at least 500 to make a difference.

Not a munitions guy at all, but I’ve seen some different ordnance being used, on the ground:

2000 lb bomb
- obliterates complete buildings within a walled compound, leaving a big hole in the ground filled with rubble that was the building. Preferably against walled compounds to keep the blast from spreading outward significantly

500 lb bomb
- significantly destroys everything within a 1-3 story building, leaving some of the shell of the destroyed building (depends a lot on direction bomb hit building, fuse time, constructed material, etc. which will all have a different effect on the building)

AGM-114 Hellfire (20lb HEAT) 100 lbs
- significantly destroys everything within an armored vehicle (usually defeated by more advanced tank reactive armor). Utilizes an explosive formed projectile shaped, molten copper spear to puncture a vehicle and then bounce around inside the vehicle, and dragging the own vehicle’s armor pieces into it (same general concept of destruction by the Iranian factory produced EFP’s used against US troops IVO Baghdad 2006-2008)

AGM-114 Hellfire II (20lb Blast Frag) 100 lbs

- fired from UAS, significantly destroys everything within a room within a building, leaving some of the shell of the room destroyed. Pretty effective for shooting into doors and windows of buildings. Explosive designed specifically to minimize collateral damage, especially in an urban environment.

Switchblade 600 - 50 lbs.
Says its useful against armored vehicles

Switchblade 300 - 10 lbs.
Says its useful against individuals (troops in the open)




[Post edited by reconhokie at 03/16/2022 10:03PM]