Manufacturer catalog

AeroVironment

AeroVironment is a U.S. defense technology manufacturer focused on unmanned aircraft systems, loitering munitions, counter-UAS, and autonomy software. In this catalog it is the builder behind the Raven and Switchblade families.

2 weapons

AeroVironment began operations in 1971 as a small engineering firm focused on aerodynamic problem-solving. It has grown into a global defense technology company whose public materials now emphasize air, land, sea, space, and cyber capabilities.

For this catalog, AeroVironment matters most as the builder of the Raven and Switchblade families, which connect the company's current unmanned-aircraft and loitering-munition business to the catalog's weapon records.

Unmanned aircraft systemsLoitering munitionsCounter-UASAutonomy and mission softwareISR and precision strike

Notable Systems

Raven B

Small unmanned aircraft system

Official product material describes Raven B as a lightweight Group 1 hand-launchable UAS for immediate tactical ISR.

Sources: AeroVironment Raven B

Switchblade 300 Block 20

Loitering munition family

Official product material describes Switchblade 300 Block 20 as a backpackable loitering munition for rapid precision strikes against personnel, light vehicles, and armored threats.

Sources: AeroVironment Switchblade 300 Block 20

Switchblade 600

Loitering munition family

Official product material describes Switchblade 600 as an extended-range loitering munition with an anti-armor warhead for hardened targets.

Sources: AeroVironment Switchblade 600

JUMP 20-X

Official product material describes JUMP 20-X as a VTOL UAS for flexible multi-domain operations across land and sea.

Sources: AeroVironment JUMP 20-X

Manufacturer History

1971
AeroVironment begins operations
The company says it began operations in 1971 as a small engineering firm focused on aerodynamic principles.
Sources: AeroVironment 50 years
2021-06-15
Corporate headquarters relocates to Arlington
AeroVironment announced that its corporate headquarters moved from Simi Valley, California, to Arlington, Virginia, effective June 15, 2021.
Sources: AeroVironment Headquarters Relocation, AeroVironment Contact
2025-05-01
BlueHalo acquisition closes
AeroVironment completed its acquisition of BlueHalo, which continued as a wholly owned subsidiary and expanded the company’s broader all-domain defense portfolio.
Sources: AeroVironment and BlueHalo Complete Transaction

Subsidiaries

BlueHalo LLC

Website links

Official website About us Contact Investor relations Solutions

Manufacturer Sources

AeroVironment About UsPublisher: AeroVironment | Note: Supports the company's current defense-technology mission, multi-domain product focus, and unmanned-systems background. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
AeroVironment ContactPublisher: AeroVironment | Note: Supports the corporate headquarters address in Arlington, Virginia, and the company’s current contact-page location listing. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
AeroVironment Headquarters RelocationPublisher: AeroVironment Investor Relations | Note: Supports the June 15, 2021 relocation of AeroVironment's corporate headquarters to Arlington, Virginia. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
AeroVironment 50 yearsPublisher: AeroVironment Investor Relations | Note: Supports the 1971 start date, founder context, and the company’s historical shift from aerodynamic engineering into unmanned aircraft and tactical missiles. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
AeroVironment Raven BPublisher: AeroVironment | Note: Supports Raven B as a hand-launchable small UAS and product-family context for the builder's catalog role. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
AeroVironment Switchblade 300 Block 20Publisher: AeroVironment | Note: Supports Switchblade 300 Block 20 as a backpackable loitering munition and the company's loitering-munitions product line. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
AeroVironment Switchblade 600Publisher: AeroVironment | Note: Supports Switchblade 600 product background and its extended-range anti-armor loitering-munition role. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
AeroVironment JUMP 20-XPublisher: AeroVironment | Note: Supports JUMP 20-X as a VTOL UAS in AeroVironment's broader autonomous-systems portfolio. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
AeroVironment and BlueHalo Complete TransactionPublisher: AeroVironment Investor Relations | Note: Supports the May 1, 2025 BlueHalo transaction and BlueHalo's status as a wholly owned subsidiary of AeroVironment. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
AeroVironment logo on Wikimedia CommonsPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the AeroVironment logo used as the builder profile image; the file is marked CC0 and is reusable as a brand identifier. | Accessed: 2026-06-21

Produced weapons

Switchblade, Loitering munition family, Aircraft & UAVs

2014 Russia-Ukraine War, 2014 War Against the Islamic State +1 moreSwitchbladeLoitering munition familyBuilt in: United StatesAeroVironment's Switchblade is a U.S. family of tube-launched loitering munitions for portable or vehicle-integrated precision strike. Fielded first in U.S. service and later supplied to Ukraine, the current line spans the backpackable 300 Block 20, medium-range 400, and anti-armor Switchblade 600 and 600 Block 2 variants.

RQ-11 Raven UAV, Small unmanned aircraft system, Aircraft & UAVs

2001 War in Afghanistan, 2003 Iraq War +3 moreRQ-11 Raven UAVSmall unmanned aircraft systemBuilt in: United StatesThe RQ-11 Raven is a hand-launched AeroVironment small unmanned aircraft system for tactical ISR, derived from earlier Pointer-related work into a smaller backpackable design. The RQ-11A designation covered the early Raven air vehicle, while the RQ-11B/Raven B became the Army-selected upgraded SUAV with improved control-system, sensor, endurance, targeting, and interoperability features. Current AeroVironment material describes Raven B as a lightweight Group 1 system with a stabilized EO/IR payload, 10 km range, and more than 75 minutes of endurance, while 2023 U.S. Army reporting still described upgraded Ravens in training for reconnaissance and call-for-fire support.