AeroVironment (AV), a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems, announced today that the U.S. Army has awarded a $54.8 million contract modification for the production of Switchblade® loitering munition systems. This modification, issued as part of a broader indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract, ensures continued support for both the U.S. Army and several allied partners, including Lithuania, Romania, and Sweden.

Work on this contract will be performed in Simi Valley, California, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2026. The award, which leverages fiscal 2023 and 2024 Army funds along with Foreign Military Sales, highlights AV’s ongoing commitment to delivering proven, battlefield-ready technology that meets the evolving needs of modern armed forces.

“This contract modification allows us to continue delivering Switchblade systems to the U.S. Army and allied partners at speed with upgraded capabilities based on real-time battlefield feedback,” said Brett Hush, AV’s senior vice president and general manager of Loitering Munition Systems. “We are honored to provide the U.S. Army and our international partners with battle-proven technology.”

AV remains focused on providing warfighters with superior, reliable, affordable systems at scale to meet the evolving requirements of its global defense customers.

As the war in Ukraine has highlighted, not all drones are created equal. Not all drone companies are created equal either. AeroVironment (AV) has a proud 50+ year track record of providing combat-effective unmanned systems to U.S. and allied forces around the world. As such, AV should not have been included in the Wall Street Journal article entitled, “How American Drones Failed to Turn the Tide in Ukraine.”

Currently, thousands of AV unmanned systems, including Switchblades, are employed in Ukraine, successfully operating in the most demanding electronic warfare conditions, and effectively completing their missions. We have been gratified by overwhelming user feedback and demand for additional systems. AV solutions, employed by trained warfighters, are having positive effects on this highly complex battlefield.

AV’s most recent awards to provide Switchblades to both the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps highlight AV’s continued partnership and inherent trust to support the country’s warfighters with precision strike systems. My pledge is that AV will continue to advance the state of the art and provide the best tools to U.S. servicemembers and in defense of American allies’ sovereignty.

–Wahid Nawabi

Ukraine is set to receive further deliveries of the Switchblade 600 suicide drone, according to its manufacturer, in a move that could boost Kyiv’s ability to take out Russian assets far behind the heavily fortified front lines.

Read the full article at newsweek.com

WASHINGTON — AeroVironment, the maker of the Switchblade loitering munition Ukraine has used against Russia in recent months, is planning to ramp up production of the heavier-duty version.

Ukraine has had repeated battlefield successes with the Switchblade 300 since the United States shipped it 400 of the lighter-weight loitering munition earlier this year, Charlie Dean, AeroVironment’s vice president of sales and business development, said in an interview with Defense News at the Association of the U.S. Army’s conference on Monday.

And with the larger, more powerful Switchblade 600 on its way to Ukraine — Dean said the first batch of 10 would likely be in the country in the next few weeks — and growing visibility and interest in the weapon, AeroVironment is making preparations to produce more.

Dean said Ukraine has “considerable interest” in getting and using the Switchblade 600. Today, AeroVironment can produce more than 2,000 Switchblade 600 systems annually; within a few months, he said, the company hopes to roughly triple that to about 6,000.

To do that, he added, the company is working to obtain more supplies to build the 600 version as well as adding new lines dedicated to the heavier-duty loitering munition.

Right now, he explained, AeroVironment only has one shift building the 600 systems, but could add a second shift if necessary.

Switchblade loitering munitions are essentially a combination of a reconnaissance drone and guided missile.

The smaller Switchblade 300 is small enough that a soldier can carry several in a backpack, set up its launching tube within a few minutes, and fire it off, with its folded wings snapping out like its namesake knife.

The soldier would then fly the 5.5-pound Switchblade 300 up to 10 kilometers, or about 6 miles, sweeping the area with the munition’s camera and looking for a target.