AeroVironment Switchblade
American loitering missile
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Key Takeaways
- The AeroVironment Switchblade is a family of man-portable loitering munitions designed by AeroVironment and used by several branches of the United States military and also exported to other countries.
- The name Switchblade comes from how the spring-loaded wings are folded inside a tube and flipped out once released.
- The Blackwing, an unarmed variant of the Switchblade 300, was released in 2015.
- History Designed by the United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and developed by the United States Army, the Switchblade was designed to assist US troops in responding to enemy ambushes in Afghanistan.
- Troop-carried guided missiles, such as the FGM-148 Javelin, are also significantly larger, heavier, and more expensive, and only a few, if any, are carried on a typical patrol.
The AeroVironment Switchblade is a family of man-portable loitering munitions designed by AeroVironment and used by several branches of the United States military and also exported to other countries. 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.
Introduced in 2011, the original Switchblade was rebranded the Switchblade 300 after the much larger and very different Switchblade 600 anti-armour 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.
History
Designed by the United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and developed by the United States Army, the Switchblade was designed to assist US troops in responding to enemy ambushes in Afghanistan. Close air support takes time to arrive, is costly to operate, and risks collateral damage in urban areas. Troop-carried guided missiles, such as the FGM-148 Javelin, are also significantly larger, heavier, and more expensive, and only a few, if any, are carried on a typical patrol. Human-portable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like the Raven or Puma can spot threats but lack weapons. The backpackable, relatively inexpensive Switchblade has sensors to help spot enemy fighters and an explosive warhead to attack them from above, which is especially helpful in dug-in positions like rooftops or ridge lines.
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