News & Articles

Fox News’ Douglas Kennedy reports on the kamikaze switchblade drones used to aid Ukraine's fight against Russia.

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A one-time-use unmanned aerial vehicle, the Switchblade drone is a powerful weapon that can dive bomb its targets, such as tanks and artillery nests, at a range of up to 30 miles. So far, 700 Switchblades – large and small – have been supplied to Ukraine for use against Russian forces. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin talks with the CEO of Switchblade manufacturer Aerovironment, Wahid Nawabi, who as a child in Afghanistan saw the effects of an invading Russian army – and the power of innovative defense technology.

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• Demonstrated multi-sensor data fusion and automatic target recognition (ATR) using AeroVironment’s Blue Hotel tactical grade computer vision and data analysis software package
• AeroVironment’s battlefield proven DDL technology provided robust command, control and video datalink for U.S. and Royal Navy airborne assets in the challenging maritime environment

ARLINGTON, Va., April 26, 2022 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems, today announced the successful maritime demonstration of Interoperability to Interchangeability (I2I) operations by the U.S. Navy and Royal Navy using AeroVironment’s Puma™ 3 AE small unmanned aircraft systems. The demonstration was part of a combined event – International Maritime Exercise 2022/Cutlass Express 2022 (IMX/CE 22) – that took place from Feb. 6-17, 2022.

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Charged with the challenge of tracking low-slung vessels over vast oceans, counter-trafficking forces often have to choose between stealth and search area.  Now thanks to Puma AE UAS, they are discovering they can have both.

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• Donation is independent of other AeroVironment systems already being provided to Ukraine by the United States Government
• Donated Quantix Recon unmanned aircraft systems will ship this week with more to follow
• Operational training services for donated systems will also be provided at no cost

ARLINGTON, Va., April 19, 2022 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems, today announced it will donate more than 100 Quantix™ Recon unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and operational training services to the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and territorial forces amid the ongoing war against Russia. The donation was presented to the Ambassador and the Defence Attaché at the Embassy of Ukraine by AeroVironment chairman, president and chief executive officer Wahid Nawabi during a face-to-face meeting last week.

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Since the end of World War II, the United States has achieved force overmatch by deploying a range of very large, highly complex and extremely expensive assets that ranged from fighter jets and aircraft carriers to satellites and submarines.

Today, this overmatch is no longer absolute, thanks to the rise of peer and near-peer adversaries. If the United States is to continue to dominate the battle space, the military must think creatively about new ways of achieving overmatch, reducing its reliance on large, expensive and vulnerable military assets, and prioritizing resiliency, flexibility and interoperability.

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The U.S. is providing 100 Switchblade loitering munitions to Ukraine, the Biden administration revealed Wednesday, in addition to the thousands of Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missile already in country or on the way. The Switchblade, sometimes described as a kamikaze drone, has received much less publicity that its two stablemates, but is no less lethal.

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As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged members of Congress for more help against Russia on Wednesday, President Joe Biden announced an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine.

Under the new massive military aid package, Ukraine will be provided with long-range missiles and 100 "tactical unmanned aerial systems," as Biden called them. More precisely, these are Switchblade armed drones.

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As the Pentagon moves resources to address the new era of strategic competition, uncrewed systems – in the air, in the sea, and on land – will be the tip of the sword for our sailors, marines, soldiers and airmen. This era is evolving to one that is multi-domain, features rising peer and near-peer adversaries, and is driven by industry innovation.

For the U.S. to maintain its security advantage in a multi-domain battlespace where force overmatch is no longer an absolute, a strategic shift needs to take place from a reliance on large and expensive traditional military assets to a distributed warfare and force structure.

Wahid Nawabi, President, Chairman and CEO of AeroVironment, a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems, spoke with AUVSI about how a transition to distributed warfare, supported by unmanned systems, will maintain U.S. competitiveness this new era.

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