Switchblade backpack drone might help ground troops

It has been so frequent that we read about our troops in far off lands like Iraq and Afghanistan getting killed by suicide bombers that I can safely say we’re more or less numb about it already. Hopefully, the advancement of technology might soon help our boys in uniform to be able to fend off insurgents and other suicide bombers in an easier and stealthier manner. Soon, US troops will have at their disposal the Switchblade – this is not some sort of razor to shave your face, but rather, it is a miniature drone which can be stashed away in a backpack, where unleashing it will open up a new doorway to locating and killing enemy targets.

This new drone is said to see action in a future mission at both southern and eastern Afghanistan. California-based AeroVironment is the company behind the Switchblade, where it can be fired from a small tube while transmitting wireless live color video which will be relayed back to a ground control unit. Whenever the video feed confirms the target, the operator will be able to issue an order to the Switchblade, arming it and having it lock on the target.

Nice to know that the Switchblade is able to call off a strike even after it is armed, just in case someone goofs up during the identification process. Could this very well be the “magic bullet” when it comes to getting rid of baddies?

Edwin Kee
Categories: Military
Tags: Drones, military