A video of a loitering munition, commonly known as a kamikaze or suicide drone, neutralising a Russian tank was published on Facebook by the Ukrainian military’s special operations forces.
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces shared a 44-second video on Tuesday showing an overview of a Russian position. A tank is then consumed in an exploding fireball, which converts into a cloud of smoke.
The video then shifts to a position that shows the scene from the drone’s perspective as it barrels down near the Russian tank. In the footage, a green square is fixed on the tank and the Russian troops sitting atop the armoured vehicle, signifying the drone’s target.
The screen turns dark right before the drone hits the tank, as seen in the video.
“A modern kamikaze drone, equipped with a powerful explosive, flew straight into the tank, causing irreparable damage to the enemy,” Ukraine said in the Facebook caption.
According to Ukraine, the footage was obtained by a camera mounted on the drone. It went on to say that the tank’s Russian tankers were killed.
The text “Executive Producer Switchblade” flashes across the screen at the end of the video.
AeroVironment, a California-based company, developed the Switchblade for the US Army to help soldiers deployed in Afghanistan better confront the Taliban at the time.
Switchblade drones are loitering bombs packed with explosives that may remain airborne until a target is selected before crashing into it and blowing up the explosives. They are the most lethal aid items sent by the US to Ukraine as part of military assistance. The United States has supplied over 700 Switchblade 300s to Ukraine as part of an $800 million aid package announced in March.
Ukraine stated that the “video is being made public for the first time, although it is worth mentioning that the combat employment of kamikaze UAVs is a regular practice.”
“This is a good example of how the help of foreign partners together with the training and professionalism of our soldiers give positive results at the front,” the post explained.
Interestingly, the video leading up to the operation featured Star Wars instrumental music in the background. After the screen goes dark, the audio changes to the American sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm theme song.
Another video of the Switchblade being utilised against a Russian machine gun began circulating on social media earlier this month.
Ukraine has repeatedly published videos portraying various strikes on Russian soldiers and sites set to a wide selection of music throughout the three-month-long war in an attempt to normalise the killing of Russian forces.