AeroVironment has received a $51 million US Army award for additional Switchblade 600 loitering munitions, with part of the procurement intended for an unidentified allied nation through the foreign military sales process.The procurement covers Switchblade 600 Block 2 systems for American forces and Block 1 systems for the foreign customer. The order is being placed under AeroVironment’s existing five-year unmanned-systems agreement with the Army, valued at up to $990 million.Switchblade 600 is a long-endurance loitering munition designed to locate and engage targets, including armored vehicles. Rather than immediately traveling toward a fixed target, the weapon can remain in the air while searching for a suitable engagement opportunity.The newer Block 2 configuration introduces improved avionics, automatic target-recognition capabilities, stronger communications, and enhanced navigation. These features are intended to increase reliability when operating in environments affected by electronic interference and other battlefield challenges.The Switchblade family has expanded considerably in recent years. The 600 variant is about 1.3 meters long, weighs 15 kg, can reach approximately 185 km/h, and has more than 40 minutes of endurance. The smaller Switchblade 300 weighs about 3 kg and can remain airborne for more than 20 minutes.US forces have fielded Switchblade systems with more than 20 brigade combat teams, while hundreds of soldiers have received operator training since 2025. Separately, Greece has been approved for a potential $80.1 million acquisition of Switchblade 300 Block 20 systems, including 350 munitions and supporting equipment.
