Since the first supplies of U.S.-made Switchblade 300 loitering munitions arriving in Ukraine somewhere in between April–May 2022, these "kamikaze drones" have been helping to destroy small groups of russian troops and even some armored equipment, holding their offensive potential.
But in the new video from the Special Operations Forces of Ukraine we can see that these systems are capable during offensive missions as well. According to the SOF drone operators, "when advancing in multiple areas of the frontline, our warriors first of all destroy enemy defense. For that, they launch precise and powerful strikes on enemy fortifications with loitering munitions ('kamikaze drones')."
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Update: broken link was replaced with the same video, the original still can be found here.
By the peculiar shape of the muzzle and dimensions, we can identify this loitering munition as the Switchblade 300. We should note, that despite this type of drone not being suited for targeting fortified positions or armored vehicles, Ukrainian special forces still manage to destroy even quite sturdy targets.
For example, they managed to eliminate a tank with a Switchblade 300, despite this type of munition not having such anti-tank capabilities as the next generation version, the Switchblade 600 which are expected to arrive in Ukraine, too.
Given the high mobility of SOF units, these drone strikes are likely used to launch surprise attacks from an unexpected angle in a "shoot-and-run" manner. It also can be launched from one position, and operated in another, safer one, as long as it's within the operational range.
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