The brief

Analyst view

• AeroVironment's Switchblade 600 is the standard US loitering munition, with Block 2 variant fielded across 20+ Army brigade combat teams.
• Army ordered $186M for upgraded Switchblade systems in February 2026, then $51M more in August 2026.
• Founded in 1971 by aeronautical engineer Paul MacCready, AeroVironment is now led by CEO Wahid Nawabi.

Technical approach

As reported

Modular Platform

Switchblade family

AeroVironment builds loitering munitions in scalable sizes (300, 600) with interchangeable payloads, from anti-armor warheads to surveillance pods.

Precision Strike

Man-in-the-loop engagement

Operators can loiter over targets, visually confirm before striking, or redirect to new targets in flight—balancing autonomy with human control.

Electronic Resilience

GPS-denied operation

Block 2 variants resist jamming with inertial navigation and video-based terminal guidance, critical in contested airspace.