ARLINGTON, Va., — AeroVironment has received a $51 million delivery order from the U.S. Army for additional Switchblade 600 loitering munition systems. The order includes Switchblade 600 Block 2 systems for the U.S. military and Switchblade 600 Block 1 systems supporting a Foreign Military Sale to a key U.S. ally, according to the company.
The order was placed under the Army’s existing five-year, $990 million Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for Lethal Unmanned Systems (LUS), awarded in August 2024. The latest award follows the Army’s earlier procurement of AeroVironment’s next-generation Switchblade systems under the same contract.
Switchblade 600 Block 2
The Switchblade 600 Block 2 is designed for multi-domain operations and has been ruggedized for maritime and highly contested environments. AeroVironment developed the variant in collaboration with U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM).
The system features upgraded avionics and advanced Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) capabilities, including SPOTR AiTR, intended to support faster detection, identification and engagement of threats. It also incorporates Silvus MANET radios for resilient communications and distributed operations.
The Block 2 also includes improved navigation and mission-resilience capabilities for operations in GPS-challenged environments. AeroVironment's published specifications list an endurance of more than 50 minutes, while its handoff and relay capability can extend beyond 100 kilometers.
The system has a stated range of more than 60 kilometers, with the company listing more than 100 kilometers when using Forward Pass. It carries an anti-armor munition and has a secondary payload bay. The company also lists a setup and launch time of less than 10 minutes and an IP67 rating for maritime applications.
Growing U.S. Army Procurement
AeroVironment said Switchblade 600 systems have been fielded across more than 20 U.S. brigade combat teams since 2025, with hundreds of U.S. soldiers trained in their operation and employment.
Brian Young, AeroVironment’s Senior Vice President of Loitering Munitions, said the continued Army investment reflects demand for long-range precision loitering munitions and the performance of the Switchblade family.
Young said the Block 2 builds on the Block 1 configuration with upgrades in autonomy, resilience and lethality for contested, multi-domain operations. AeroVironment also said it is expanding manufacturing capacity and working to accelerate delivery timelines as demand increases.
The Army previously awarded AeroVironment a $186 million delivery order in February 2026 for Switchblade 600 Block 2 and Switchblade 300 Block 20 systems. That order was the Army’s first procurement of AeroVironment’s next-generation Switchblade product line.
The new $51 million order continues procurement under the broader Lethal Unmanned Systems contract, supporting Switchblade deliveries to U.S. forces and allied customers.
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