They are small and precise weapons, weighing about 6 lbs – and designed to dive-bomb their target. Switchblade Drones – also known as kamikaze drones because they operate a one way mission – are manufactured at a discreet facility in Ventura County.
"Ukraine realized and the U.S. President, President Biden, realized that Switchblade and/or non-lethal drones could be a game changer for Ukraine in their conflict with Russia," explained AeroVironment CEO Wahid Nawabi.
The Switchblades are part of a US military aid package delivered to help Ukraine fight back amid Russia’s invasion.
Nawabi says it’s his own personal experience growing up in Afghanistan, which has led to him looking for innovative defense solutions.
"I came to the United States as a teenager during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the early 80s and late 70s," he explained.
"My dad was pro democracy, was pro-U.S...so we were in a tough situation and we had to escape," he explained.
Nawabi and his three younger sisters left the country they called home and moved to the United States as refugees. He didn't speak any English.
"I know exactly what it feels like when all of a sudden your country is attacked and your life is turned upside down. And you go from whatever...to zero, to nothing," he told KCLU.
Nawabi proudly tells KCLU the company have seven air vehicles in the Smithsonian Institute.
"We have many world firsts," he said. "The world didn't know what to do with it," he says of when they first made electric small drones thirty years ago.
"Now with the conflict in Ukraine, the use and the value of small drones — kamikaze drones — have become a game-changer," he said.
He says they'll continue to innovate with unmanned and AI technology rapidly developing.
Switchblade has patented technology designed to reduce the risk of civilian casualties.
"We don't create wars, we don't decide who is going to go into war and we are not in favor of wars as an organization," said Nawabi.
"One of the main reasons Switchblade has been so successful is minimal collateral damage. Its feature allows the operator to have almost no impact on innocent lives," he explained.
The Switchblade has technology which allows the operator to stop it before it reaches its target, with a wave. Nawabi says this means if there's an issue with a target, rather than having no control once a missile is fired, the operator has control up to the very last second.
"It allows the operator to make informed judgement calls," he said.
Running Aerovironment put Nawabi on a sanctioned list of 29 individuals by Russia, in 2022, along with Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Vice President Kamala Harris and ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.
