'The Switchblade': U.S. Army unveils its latest weapon to kill militants - tiny kamikaze drones

• New drones weigh less than 2kg and launch from tube
• Wings fold out as it flies into air and then dive bombs
• Operators can order drone to lock on to human target

 

By Mark Duell

It quietly hovers before dive-bombing and blowing up a human target.

This ‘kamikaze’ drone - small enough to fit inside a soldier’s backpack and dubbed the ‘Switchblade’ - will soon be available for use by the U.S. Army.

The impressive robotic craft weighs less than 2kg and launches from a tube before its wings fold out as it flies into the air, reported AFP.

The U.S. Army is paying manufacturer AeroVironment $4.9million for the drones to help it develop a new way of killing suspected militants.

The drones have a miniature electric motor and transmit live video from overhead, which helps soldiers identify the enemy, reported AFP.

The operators can then send a message to the drone ‘to arm it and lock its trajectory onto the target’, the company said in a press release.

The drone will fly into a target and detonate a small explosive - but it can still be disarmed at the last moment even if it is heading for a kill.

The California company said it is this feature that makes its drones unique and gives ‘a level of control not available in other weapon systems’.

Larger Predator and Reaper drones are currently used by the U.S. to find suspected militants in Pakistan and other countries, reported AFP.

These drones have caused a political headache as civilian casualties can be caused when they drop powerful missiles and large bombs.

But AeroVironment said its Switchblade combines ‘onboard explosive payload with precision while minimising collateral damage’.

'Switchblade provides a revolutionary rapid strike capability to protect our troops and give them a valuable new advantage,' a spokesman said.

The Army's Close Combat Weapons Systems (CCWS) signed a $4.9million contract for the drones with AeroVironment in June.

Bill Nichols, of the CCWS project office, praised the Switchblade as 'an ideal weapon for today's fight (and) the future' with 'unique capabilities'.

The Daily described it as 'a smart, remote-control grenade with wings'.

But human rights advocates claim drones can help the military carry out assassination campaigns abroad that the public will never find out about.