The AeroVironment Switchblade is a family of man-portable loitering munitions designed by AeroVironment and used by several branches of the United States military and also exported to other countries. Small enough to fit in a backpack, the Switchblade launches from a tube, flies to the target area, and crashes into its target while detonating its explosive warhead. The name Switchblade comes from how the spring-loaded wings are folded inside a tube and flipped out once released.
Introduced in 2011, the original Switchblade was rebranded the Switchblade300 after the much larger and very different Switchblade600 anti-armour variant was unveiled in 2020. The Blackwing, an unarmed variant of the Switchblade300, was released in 2015. More than 700 Switchblade 300 drones were sent to Ukraine by the United States as part of an arms package after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
History Designed by the United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and developed by the United States Army, the Switchblade was designed to assist US troops in responding to enemy ambushes in Afghanistan. Close air support takes time to arrive, is costly to operate, and risks collateral damage in urban areas. Troop-carried guided missiles, such as the FGM-148 Javelin, are also significantly larger, heavier, and more expensive, and only a few, if any, are carried on a typical patrol. Human-portable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like the Raven or Puma can spot threats but lack weapons. The backpackable, relatively inexpensive Switchblade has sensors to help spot enemy fighters and an explosive warhead to attack them from above, which is especially helpful in dug-in positions like rooftops or ridge lines.
On July 29, 2011, the U.S. Army awarded AeroVironment a $4.9 million contract for "rapid fielding" of an unspecified number of Switchblades to forces in Afghanistan. On March 20, 2012, the Army added $5.1 million, totaling $10 million.
In May 2012, the United States Marine Corps began ordering Switchblades to allow troops to strike improvised explosive device (IED) emplacement teams and similar targets. Usually, when air support is called in, attackers slip away before a large UAV, attack helicopter, fighter bomber, or quick reaction force can arrive at the station. Marines sometimes couldn't get support due to other units getting mission priority. The Switchblade is small enough to fit in a Marine's ALICE or MOLLE pack and locks onto and tracks a target once selected.
In late 2012, 75 Switchblades were supplied to U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. Several successful employments had occurred by January 2013. Although the military would not confirm details about its deployment, effectiveness, distribution, or tactical employment, commanders reported that it was "very effective." Shortly after, the Army theatre commanders requested a joint urgent needs statement for more systems. The number requested was not specified but was "dramatically more" than the 75 systems initially supplied and exceeded budget limitations. The Switchblade gained notoriety among soldiers using it and insurgents targeted by it. The Army classifies it as a direct-fire munition rather than a drone. - Defensenews.com, 12 February 2013
Soldiers embraced it as a valuable tool, especially to reduce collateral damage. Unlike most other weapons, the Switchblade can wave off or abort a mission if the situation changes after launch, allowing it to engage a secondary target or destroy itself without inflicting casualties or property damage.Kamikaze drones: Miniature munitions for dismounted troops - Armytimes.com, August 14, 2013, Wave off was used over a dozen times to prevent civilian casualties that could have been caused had a person not been in the decision loop.
On August 28, 2013, AeroVironment announced it had been awarded five contracts totaling $15.8 million to supply more Switchblade systems, ancillary equipment, and support to the Army. One week later, the Pentagon gave the company a follow-on contract worth $6.6 million. On September 5, 2013, AeroVironment was awarded a $29 million contract modification to supply Switchblade munitions systems and associated hardware and support services, totaling $51.4 million worth in contracts announced over nine days.
In April 2015, the Marines test-fired a Switchblade from the back of an MV-22 Osprey. The drone was not equipped with a warhead but was successfully released and accurately steered toward a target. The test showed that the Switchblade could be air-launched from the aircraft and add a remotely controlled, weaponized surveillance tool to the Osprey. From its introduction to the end of Operation Enduring Freedom, over 4,000 switchblades were deployed in Afghanistan. In mid-2017, 350 Switchblades were delivered to SOCOM for use against Islamic State.
On April 28, 2016, AeroVironment announced they had developed an upgrade for the Switchblade Tactical Missile System, designated Block 10C. In October 2016, AeroVironment announced the Multi-Pack Launcher (MPL), a system to carry and remotely launch several Switchblades.
In October 2020, AeroVironment announced a project with Kratos Defence & Security Solutions to demonstrate a "high-speed, long-range unmanned combat air vehicle" that serves as a mothership to deliver Switchblade 300s in large numbers that cooperatively attacks and overwhelms enemy defences.
In late 2018, AeroVironment was working on the larger Switchblade 600. In March 2020, AeroVironment revealed it had flight tested the product the previous year. In October 2020, AeroVironment unveiled the larger unit. By the time of its unveiling, it had undergone 60 test flights from ground launches against fixed and moving targets.
On March 31, 2021, AeroVironment was awarded a US$26.1 million contract by SOCOM for the Switchblade 600. The system addresses the United States Naval Special Warfare Command's Maritime Precision Engagement (MPE) requirement to engage asymmetric threats with Combatant Craft Medium (CCM) and Heavy (CCH) boats acting as host platforms.
In March 2022, it was reported that the US was considering providing Switchblade drones to the Ukrainian armed forces following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On March 16, the White House announced that "100 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems" would be provided to Ukraine as part of an $800 million military aid package. Another 600 systems were announced to be sent in April, bringing the total number of munitions sent to Ukraine to 700.
Ukraine first reported using a Switchblade on a Russian target in Kharkiv Oblast in early May. A Switchblade 300 was used against a bunker; it is unclear if it was shot down or completed its task by exploding. Russian forces recovered the remains. Despite receiving hundreds of Switchblade drones, some Ukrainian units prefer to use commercial drones equipped with explosives that are easier to use. The U.S. planned to also send the anti-armour Switchblade 600, but although the Switchblade 300 was delivered soon after being pledged to Ukraine, the larger Switchblade 600 was not because it was still a prototype and not considered a fielded capability, so it had to complete testing and evaluation. While the Switchblade 300 has been used against soft Russian targets like fuel trucks, personnel carriers, machine gun nests, trench positions, and dismounted infantry, the Switchblade 600 can be used against heavy armour, including tanks. In October 2022, AeroVironment said the first batch of 10 Switchblade 600s would likely be in Ukraine "in the next few weeks." They were reportedly delivered by the end of the year, and were first used in combat in spring 2023.
Ukraine initially used the Switchblade-300, but the system's use gradually declined because Russia improved its air defense and electronic warfare systems. Jamming is likely responsible for the majority of drone losses in the conflict, and according to three unnamed Ukrainian officers in April and May 2023, Ukraine was losing 10,000 drones a month to Russian electronic-warfare systems that spoofed signals and interfered with their navigation. AeroVironment later improved the Switchblade 600's resistance to jamming through software updates and better operator training.New details give Replicator a distinct Ukrainian flavor. Defense One. 6 May 2024.
The U.S. Army ordered more than 100 Switchblade 600s in October 2023 as part of the first increment of the Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program; they will be operated at company-level.
On June 11, 2024, a Switchblade, believed to be a 600 or improved model, struck a Russian Buk missile launcher in Sarabash (formerly Komunarivka), Donetsk. The drone had to "travel more than 30 kilometers".
In August 2024, the U.S. Army awarded AeroVironment a contract worth nearly $1 billion to deliver Switchblade 300 and 600 drones over the next five years.Army Just Signed $1B Deal For Massive Order Of Switchblade Kamikaze Drones. The War Zone. 28 August 2024.Aerovironment wins nearly $1B to supply Switchblade munitions to Army. Defense News. 28 August 2024.
On February 26, 2026, AeroVironment announced receipt of a $186 million delivery order from the U.S. Army for Switchblade 600 Block 2 and Switchblade 300 Block 20 - as part of the aforementioned $990 million "Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity" (IDIQ) contract.
Design Switchblade 300
The Switchblade 300 is designed as an expendable UAV to offer precision firepower for platoon-sized infantry units.
It helps engage long-range targets and assists in relieving units pinned down by enemy fire. It can identify, track, and engage targets and follow a pre-programmed course.
It has been used to destroy light armoured vehicles and personnel. The operator can call to re-target a unit en route. Its small size and silent flight make it extremely difficult to detect or intercept.
The Switchblade uses the same Ground Control Station (GCS) as other AeroVironment UAVs, including the Wasp, RQ-11 Raven, and RQ-20 Puma. This creates a commonality and the potential for teaming of longer-endurance small UAVs to recon for targets, then having the Switchblade attack once they are identified with the same controller.America's Kamikaze Drone Makes the Skies Way Less Friendly - Gizmodo.com, 5 September 2013Kamikaze drones - the military robots set to self-destruct - Army-Technology.com, 6 August 2012
The warhead is designed for controlled firepower to reduce collateral damage through a focused blast. It has a forward-firing shotgun-blast effect rather than a 360-degree blast, expelling pellets in the direction that the missile is traveling. It can be fused to detonate at a predetermined height, which can be adjusted mid-flight. When diving, the operator can cancel the attack until four seconds from impact. The warhead can be detonated mid-flight to destroy it.
The U.S. Army categorizes the Switchblade as a missile rather than a drone. The term "loitering munition" is preferred. Unlike UAVs, it is not recoverable once launched. Its operation is similar to the wireless TOW missile through a fly-by-radio frequency signal. The TOW doesn't loiter, but both have the same operator-in-the-loop characteristics.
The Switchblade does not fit into established doctrines since it is not an armed reconnaissance vehicle dispatched by a platoon commander to scout over an area and destroy enemies, or an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platform, as its cameras are for viewing targets instead of recon. It meets the need for squads and platoons that lack high-level intelligence and communications to fire missiles beyond the ranges they are trying to influence.