AeroVironment Switchblade
The AeroVironment Switchblade is a miniature loitering munition designed by AeroVironment and used by several branches of the United States military. 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.
| AeroVironment Switchblade | |
|---|---|
Switchblade 300 launched by a US Army soldier | |
| Type | Loitering missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2011–present |
| Used by | United States Army, United States Marine Corps, Armed Forces of Ukraine |
| Wars | War in Afghanistan (2001-2021) American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–2021) 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 2010 |
| Manufacturer | AeroVironment |
| Unit cost | $52,914 (Switchblade 300, FY2023) |
| Produced | 2011–present |
| Variants | Switchblade 300, Switchblade 600, Blackwing |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) (Switchblade 300) 15 kg (33 lb) (Switchblade 600) |
| Length | 49.5 cm (19.5 in) (Switchblade 300) 130 cm (51 in) (Switchblade 600) |
| Diameter | 76 mm (3 in) (Switchblade 300) 150 mm (6 in) (Switchblade 600) |
Operational range | 10 km (6.2 mi) or 15 min (Switchblade 300) 40 km (25 mi) or 40 min (Switchblade 600) |
| Flight altitude | <150 m (500 ft) |
| Maximum speed | Model 300: 101 km/h (63 mph) (cruise); 160 km/h (100 mph) (dash) Model 600: 113 km/h (70 mph) (cruise); 185 km/h (115 mph) (dash) |
Guidance system | Autonomous; manual |
Launch platform | Portable tube; multipack; assorted vehicles |
| References | |
Introduced in 2011, the original Switchblade was rebranded the Switchblade 300 after the much larger and very different Switchblade 600 anti-armor variant was unveiled in 2020. The Blackwing, an unarmed variant of the Switchblade 300, 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.