AeroVironment (AV) has received a $51 million delivery order from the U.S. Army for additional Switchblade 600 Block 2 loitering munition systems. The order also includes Switchblade 600 Block 1 systems supporting 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), which was originally issued in August 2024.
The latest order represents a follow-on procurement for the Army’s Switchblade product line and reflects continued demand for the company’s long-range, precision loitering munition systems.
Brian Young, Senior Vice President of Loitering Munitions at AeroVironment, said the U.S. Army’s continued investment in the Switchblade 600 Block 2 reflects demand for long-range precision loitering munitions and the reliability of the Switchblade family in demanding operational environments.
He added that the Block 2 builds on the Switchblade 600 Block 1 and incorporates upgrades in autonomy, resilience and lethality intended to meet Army requirements for contested, multi-domain operations.
The latest delivery order also reflects AeroVironment’s expanding production capacity and performance on previous Switchblade 600 deliveries.
Young said the new order under the LUS IDIQ further supports Switchblade 600 Block 2 as a scalable fires capability for the U.S. Army. As the company expands manufacturing capacity and works to accelerate delivery timelines, it aims to provide U.S. soldiers with loitering munition systems capable of delivering precision effects at range while keeping personnel away from direct threats.
