New footage appears to show a Ukrainian-operated U.S.-made drone destroy a Russian short-range anti-aircraft missile system along the frontlines, more than two and a half years into the grinding war.
Ukraine’s 14th Regiment of Unmanned Aviation Systems, part of the newly-formed Unmanned Systems Forces branch of Kyiv’s military, posted footage on Monday it said showed a Switchblade-600 explosive drone targeting and hitting a Russian Tor air defense system.
The footage was shared across social media by open-source intelligence accounts and by Kyiv’s Defense Ministry. Ukraine’s government said its fighters had used two drones to take out the air defense system, but did not specify when nor where it was filmed.
Newsweek could not independently verify the footage, and has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.
Evgeny Biyatov / Sputnik via AP
The Tor family of air defense systems are short-range, mobile surface-to-air (SAM) missile systems able to detect and intercepts threats at a distance of up to roughly seven to 10 miles, according to the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. It is also known by its NATO reporting name, the SA-15 Gauntlet.
Each Tor system is worth in the region of $25 million, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said.
The Tor is “usually used to hunt UAVs,” the 14th Regiment said in a statement. “But on this fine day, the roles were reversed: the hunter became the hunted.”
Ukraine has doggedly targeted Russian air defense systems, particularly ground-based Tor, Buk, Pantsir and S-400s.
In June, a Ukrainian charity that backs Kyiv’s military posted footage appearing to show a Switchblade drone homing in on a Russian Buk-M2 surface-to-air missile system launcher behind the frontlines in Russian-held territory of embattled eastern Ukrainian Donetsk region.
The U.S. has provided several types of drones to Ukraine in military aid packages, including the Switchblade, Phoenix Ghost and CyberLux K8 drones. The U.S. Defense Department has not specified how many Switchblade drones have been sent to Ukraine.
Switchblade drones against russian Tor air defense system.
The system, worth $25 million, was destroyed by two UAVs.📹: 14th UAS Regiment pic.twitter.com/nCAIg6JyA0
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) October 28, 2024
Videos shared online as far back as May 2022 show Ukrainian troops using Switchblade suicide drones, which have wings that pop out like a switchblade and are made by U.S. defense contractor AeroVironment, to target Russian forces.
The larger 600 model can travel for up to 40 minutes and has an anti-armor warhead meant for hardened targets that are further away, according to the manufacturer. It has a range of around 40 kilometers, or 25 miles, crafted to take out enemy tanks and armored vehicles littered across a battlefield.
The smaller 300 variant can fly for up to 15 minutes to a maximum range of around six miles.
Charlie Dean, the vice president of global business development and marketing at AeroVironment, told Newsweek in October 2023 that the Switchblade 600 would soon overtake the number of Switchblade 300s used by Ukraine.
The Switchblade 600 is “tremendously important to the defense of Ukraine,” Dean said at the time.
