Switchblade in the News

Agence France Presse is making waves with a story today about the Army's $4.9 million purchase of Switchblade agile munitions:

A miniature "kamikaze" drone designed to quietly hover in the sky before dive-bombing and slamming into a human target will soon be part of the US Army's arsenal, officials say.

Dubbed the "Switchblade," the robotic aircraft represents the latest attempt by the United States to refine how it takes out suspected militants.

Inside the Army reported this purchase in a story on Sept. 2:

The Army continues to procure small, unmanned systems. The service signed a $4.9 million contract for the Switchblade agile munition, according to a Sept. 1 AeroVironment statement. The award is for rapid fielding to deployed combat forces.

The Switchblade is launched from a small, man-portable tube. After the aircraft is fired out of the tube, its wings pop open, its propeller starts spinning and it can transmit live video feed. The system can feature a "loitering aerial munition" with a high-explosive charge, "so that in the event somebody finds somebody, a sniper shooting at them, they could actually use the Switchblade to neutralize that sniper without having to wait for an F-16 to drop a 500-pound bomb on the building or a Predator or a Hellfire missile or what have you," Gitlin said.

Inside the Army had more on Switchblade before that announcement:

As part of the company's strategy to "look at white space in the market," Gitlin said AeroVironment is working on other programs that could fulfill service needs. One system it calls Switchblade is a man-portable unmanned aircraft system launched out of a tube similar to a mortar system's, but "much smaller," Gitlin said. After the aircraft is fired out of the tube, its wings pop open and its propeller starts spinning. It is battery-powered and uses the same ground control station as Puma, Raven and Wasp, he said.

In addition to a video transmittal and sensor capabilities, one version of the Switchblade will be a "loitering aerial munition" carrying a high-explosive charge, "so that in the event somebody finds somebody, a sniper shooting at them, they could actually use the Switchblade to neutralize that sniper without having to wait for an F-16 to drop a 500-pound bomb on the building or a Predator or a Hellfire missile or what have you," Gitlin said. "The utility is small, easy to use and helps to close that kill-chain very quickly without the delays normally associated."