Army already has a program of record for the Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System (LMAMS). Switchblade 300 (left), Switchblade 600 (center), and Blackwing (right) form the basis of AeroVironment’s emerging family of tactical missile systems. “The result of our continued innovation at the intersection of robotics, sensors, software analytics and connectivity, Switchblade 600 offers next-generation capabilities to our customers for operations against any adversary, in any threat environment,” Nawabi said. Department of Defense procurement appropriations in the fiscal year 2020 that could be disrupted by the new loitering weapon. According to Nawabi, these legacy weapons represent more than $1 billion in U.S. Combining reconnaissance and target acquisition capabilities in a compact, simple to use weapon system, loitering weapons such as the Switchblade 600 deliver an unprecedented combination of precision, control, and effects on the target, addressing missions previously performed with ‘fire and forget’ legacy missile systems. Switchblade 600 is a man-portable, rapidly deployable, extended-range precision strike loitering missile for non-line-of-sight hardened targets. Compared to the Javelin, Switchblade can attack targets at a much longer range and offers the unique capability to ‘wave off’ or abort an attack if needed. The new weapon packs a Jevelin warhead that is four times larger than the one used on the ‘300, adding anti-armor capability. Subscribe to access the 1485 word full version of this story We anticipate continued expansion of our family of loitering missile systems to help our customers proceed with certainty across a broader set of missions.” Army for its LMAMS program, our customers are eager to deploy Switchblade 600 because it can address larger, hardened targets in a more precise, rapid and cost-effective manner than legacy missile systems. “Now that Switchblade 300 has been adopted by the U.S. “Since pioneering the loitering missile category with Switchblade 300 more than 10 years ago, AeroVironment has worked with multiple new customers to develop scalable variants that could address new mission requirements,” said Wahid Nawabi, AeroVironment president and chief executive officer. The weapon would be a man-portable, tube-launched weapon weighing 50-70 pounds (22-32 kg), controlled from a tablet relaying the drone’s video feed and switch between flight modes – transit, loiter, and attack. For SMAM the Army eyes a loitering weapon effective at ranges beyond 35 km. The US Army also seeks loitering weapons capabilities beyond the current LMAMS, Single Multi-mission Attack Missile (SMAM) is a 35km range precision loitering munition. The specs of Switchblade 600 are set to match the US Army SMAM requirement. The corps eyes OPF-M as a weapon or system of systems comprised of reconnaissance, battle management, communications, and loitering weapons that enable precision fire effects ranging far beyond today’s LAR weapon systems, reaching as far as 100 km. The system is intended to achieve initial operational capability (IOC) early in 2021.Īt that time the new system is scheduled to perform flight demonstrations for the US Marine Corps, as part of the down-select of a single vendor for the Organic Precision Fires – Mounted (OPF-M) loitering weapon system destined to equip the corps’ Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) battalions. Completing development, it entered flight testing in 2019 and is currently in low-rate production for yet unnamed DOD customers. The program began in 2014 and achieved the first flight within a year. According to AeroVironment, the Switchblade 600 has been funded in part by an unnamed customer that expressed interest in the system for several years. With longer range, extended mission endurance, and multi-purpose warhead Switchblade 600 expand the warfighter’s capability engaging larger, hardened targets at greater distances. The new weapon employs the tube-launched, collapsible wing, electric propulsion architecture as Switchblade 300, and its Blackwing variant. Wahid Nawab, AeroVironment’s President & CEO introduces Switchblade 600 at a video press conference.Īerovironment (AV) announced today expanding its loitering weapon family, as it introduced the Switchblade 600 – the largest weapon in the family announced to date.
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