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in short:
The federal government will today announce it will procure the Switchblade 300, a precision loitering munition with a range of about 10 kilometres.
This lightweight drone, which can carry explosives and fit into a backpack, will soon be put into service with the Australian Defence Force after being successfully used on the battlefield in Ukraine.
What’s next?
It is not yet clear how many US drones Australia will buy or how much they will cost, but the Switchblade 300 is thought to cost between $90,000 and $120,000.
A US-made lightweight drone that can carry explosives in a backpack will soon enter service with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) after successful use in the European theatre.
On Monday, the Albanian government announced it would purchase the Switchblade 300, a precision cruise munition with a range of about 10 kilometers that Ukrainian soldiers have used in their fight against invading Russian forces.
According to US manufacturer AeroVironment, the portable device weighs only a few kilograms and uses a strike missile capable of hitting enemy targets beyond visual range (BLOS).
The company claims on its website that the latest version of its product is a “lightweight, miniature, precision-guided, lethal missile” that can be deployed in less than two minutes via a launch tube from land, sea or mobile platforms, providing greater mission flexibility.
The war in Ukraine has highlighted the growing importance of lethal drone warfare, with both sides demonstrating effective use of unmanned aerial systems. This has prompted criticism of the Australian Defence Force’s current limited capabilities in the region.
The Australian Defence Force currently has about 760 drones, mostly used for surveillance missions and some models can be armed, but the Department of Defence is also experimenting with low-cost, disposable systems that can be mass-produced.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy insists the government is taking action to strengthen the Australian Defence Force’s use of drones and rejected suggestions it is not investing in the lethal technology.
“As autonomous weapon systems become more prevalent, the National Defense Strategic Review makes clear that new technologies and asymmetric advantages are high priorities.”
“In fact, the Albanese government has invested more than $10 billion in drones, with at least $4.3 billion of that going to unmanned aerial systems,” Conroy said in a statement.
It is not yet clear how many US drones Australia will buy or how much they will cost, but the Switchblade 300 is thought to cost between $90,000 and $120,000.
Earlier this year ABC revealed that the Australian Army will soon be equipped with a domestically produced electric cruise missileAlthough defence sources say this is unlikely to happen before the Switchblade 300 is available.
Just last week, Washington approved the sale of nearly $90 million worth of Switchblade 300 missiles to Taiwan’s military, after agreeing to provide the weapons to Ukraine, France, Britain and other allies in the wake of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
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