US Army unveils tiny kamikaze 'Switchblade' drones to kill militants

The US Army has unveiled its new ‘kamikaze’ drones named ‘Switchblade’, which are small enough to fit inside a soldier’s backpack, and help transmit live video from overhead to identify and destroy the enemy target.

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

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.

Reports suggest that the drone flies into a target and detonates a small explosive, but can still be disarmed at the last moment even if it is heading for a kill.

The US Army is paying manufacturer AeroVironment $4.9 million for the drones to help it develop a new way of killing suspected militants. 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’, the Daily Mail reports.

Larger Predator and Reaper drones are currently used by the US to find suspected militants in Pakistan and other countries, but they have led to political chaos in the past as civilian casualties can be caused when they drop powerful missiles and large bombs.

However, AeroVironment said that 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,” its spokesperson said.