A man-portable loitering munition for precision strike. Operators launch with onboard camera, loiter over targets, and detonate when confirmed. Block 2 adds optics, jamming resistance, and anti-armor.
Deployed across 20+ US Army brigade combat teams; Block 2 variant fielded 2026.
Checked 10 Oct0 updates this week
A soldier launches the Switchblade from a reusable control unit with a live camera feed; it climbs to altitude and begins loitering.
The operator flies the Switchblade over an area, watching a live camera feed, searching for targets or awaiting target coordinates.
When a target is identified, the operator navigates to it and detonates the warhead. The operator can redirect to a new target if the original is cleared.
| Spec | Switchblade 600 |
|---|---|
| Portability | Man-portable; carried by individual soldier or small teamR (reported) |
| Sensor | Onboard EO/IR camera for target acquisition and loiterR (reported) |
| Warhead (Block 2) | Armor-defeating high-explosive anti-tank chargeR (reported) |
| Electronic resilience | Block 2: inertial + video guidance; GPS-resistantR (reported) |
R reported by the company
AeroVironment
Switchblade loitering munition, counter-UAS, defense
A public defense company founded in 1971 for human-powered flight; now builds autonomous systems and loitering munitions. Its Switchblade family is the standard US Army precision strike weapon, with tens of thousands deployed or ordered.
