As part of a recently announced $300 million military aid package, President Biden will send ten ultra-powerful Switchblade 600 kamikaze drones to Ukraine.

The 50lb drones can fly 24 miles and ‘loiter’ above a target for 40 minutes before crashing into it at 115mph and exploding with armor-piercing warheads capable of destroying a tank.

According to Bloomberg, they are managed via a tablet-style device that may be pre-programmed or operated manually.

The Pentagon revealed the transfer to Ukraine on Friday, with the Switchblades due to be supplied directly from California-based manufacturer AeroVironment Inc rather than from the US military’s own inventory.

The Switchblade 600s are unrelated to the White House’s $800 million package revealed on March 16.

This comprised 100 Switchblade 300 series blades, which were less powerful. They weigh only 5.5 pounds apiece, can fly six miles, and can hover above a target for up to 15 minutes before striking at 100mph.

Both Switchblades have been compared to “flying shotguns,” and they were chosen for use in Ukraine because to their simplicity of operation and deployment, with the drones able to take off from portable tubes planted on the ground.

Switchblade 300s were initially used in Afghanistan in secret in 2010 to combat the Taliban and were judged a big success.

The Switchblade 600 was created in response to requests from Republican politicians, especially Rep Ken Calvert, for an anti-armor variant capable of piercing enemy hardware defences.

The Switchblade 300 is designed to murder persons in the open as well as passengers in a car.

It weighs only 5.5 pounds but can fly six miles, hover for 15 minutes, and then plunge down at 100mph to a target.

Both Switchblades are meant to be portable, fitting into a knapsack and firing from a tube that can be set up in about 10 minutes. They were chosen for their convenience of use and the fact that potential operators require relatively minimal training prior to usage.

They are also meant to be cost-effective; a Switchblade 300 costs $6,000, compared to a $150,000 Hellfire missile fired from a traditional Predator or Reaper drone.

According to AeroVironment, another benefit of the Switchblade is that, unlike a Hellfire drone, the strike may be stopped seconds before the target is hit. Hellfires have infamously struck targets that were afterwards discovered to be innocent bystanders.

NBC News was the first to report on the notion of deploying Switchblades to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly requested that the United States and NATO enforce a no-fly zone over his nation, but has been met with opposition due to concerns that doing so might spark a direct confrontation with Russia.

In recent days, horrifying new facts about Russia’s failing invasion of Ukraine have emerged.

The bodies of 400 citizens were discovered in the village of Bucha, northwest of Kyiv.

Before being shot, several had their hands tied behind their backs.

Meanwhile, one lady claimed to have been targeted by Russian soldiers was discovered with a swastika tattooed on her skin.