AeroVironment, US Army Ink Deal for Over 100 Switchblade 600 Drones

The U.S. Army has ordered over 100 AeroVironment Switchblade 600 loitering munitions that will be part of the service’s Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance program, increment one.

Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, said the service signed a deal with AeroVironment after Congress approved a reprogramming order. According to AeroVironment, the Switchblade 600 is equipped with an anti-armor warhead and has a 40km range, a 40-minute flight time, a 70mph loiter speed and a 115mph sprint speed.

The drone is man-portable and can be controlled remotely through a rugged tablet. Bush did not mention when the drones would be delivered but noted that they would be bound for company-level soldiers, Breaking Defense reported.

The Switchblade 600 acquisition comes months after the Army’s Tactical Aviation and Ground Munitions project office awarded AeroVironment a $64.6 million contract to provide additional Switchblade 300 loitering munitions to France and another unspecified ally. The Switchblade 300 contract stipulates that deliveries will continue until July 2024.

The Army, which has been using the Switchblade system for over a decade, has been issuing several procurement orders to AeroVironment since 2020.