switchblade

A Marine launches a Switchblade Drone during a training exercise at Camp Lejeune, N.C., July 7, 2021. (U.S. Marine Corps/Sarah Pysher)

GLOBAL FORCE 2023 — AeroVironment today announced the newest version of its Switchblade loitering munition, claiming improved endurance and data link range.

The Switchblade 300 Block 20 model remains about five pounds and is launched from a tube by a single user. According to a company website, the system has a cruising speed of 63 miles per hour and can reach 100 miles per hour if needed.

Where the Block 20 sees its greatest improvement is in increasing its endurance from 15 minutes to 20-plus — which may seem like a small amount, but would give operators roughly 33 percent more time to observe and pick targets with less of a time crunch. The system also features “improved Digital Data Link (DDL) range, new EO/IR panning camera suite, and left-hand commit with continuous positive identification (PID),” according to the company announcement.

The company anticipates fielding the first Block 20 units by the end of 2023, with no legacy Block 10C units produced going forward, a company spokesperson told Breaking Defense.

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Both the Switchblade 300 and its larger 600 series variant were already in circulation among the US military before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but has since become one of the many suicide drone systems used by Ukrainian forces to great effect.

While some companies have downplayed their role in Ukraine, AeroVironment has a whole section on its website about Ukraine, complete with videos showing the tactics of employing their weapons. The US has included hundreds of the drones in its publicly listed arms shipments to Kyiv, saying they’re especially easy to use.

“Since pioneering the loitering missile category with Switchblade 300 more than a decade ago, our tactical missile systems have proven to be a game-changing capability for both U.S. and allied forces, providing a remarkably rapid, precise and effective way to address lethal threats,” Brett Hush, AeroVironment’s vice president and product line general manager of tactical missile systems, said in a statement. “Switchblade 300 Block 20 will continue to build on the system’s battle-proven legacy.”