AeroVironment, Inc., a global provider of defense technology, autonomous systems and precision strike solutions, has received a $51 million delivery order from the United States Army for additional Switchblade® 600 Block 2 loitering munition systems.
The order also includes Switchblade 600 Block 1 systems in support of a Foreign Military Sale to a U.S. ally.
The order was awarded under the Army’s existing five-year, $990 million Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for Lethal Unmanned Systems (LUS), originally issued in August 2024.
The latest award represents a follow-on procurement to the Army’s initial order for the next-generation Switchblade product line and reflects continued demand for AV’s long-range, precision loitering munitions.
“Continued investment by the U.S. Army in Switchblade 600 Block 2 reflects both the growing demand for long-range, precision loitering munitions and the proven reliability of the Switchblade family in demanding operational environments,” said Brian Young, Senior Vice President of Loitering Munitions at AV.
“Building on the success of Switchblade 600 Block 1, Block 2 continues to deliver the meaningful upgrades in autonomy, resilience, and lethality tailored to the Army’s needs in contested, multi-domain operations,” Young added.
The order also reflects AV’s expanding production capacity and performance on previous Switchblade 600 deliveries.
“This new delivery order under the LUS IDIQ further validates Switchblade 600 Block 2 as a next-generation, scalable fires solution for the Army,” said Young. “As we expand our manufacturing capacity and accelerate delivery timelines, we’re ensuring that U.S. soldiers have reliable, combat-proven loitering munitions that deliver precision effects at range while keeping them out of harm’s way.”
