AeroVironment'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.
Supplied by the United States and used by Ukrainian forces as a portable loitering munition; public reporting later identified Switchblade 600 combat footage in Ukraine, while AV says the wider family evolved after operational lessons from the war.
Role detailsDelivered to U.S. Special Operations Command for battlefield deployments against ISIS in Iraq, giving coalition small units tube-launched loitering munitions for rapid precision strikes.
Reported in 2011 as used by U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan against Taliban targets, with Army officials describing a small early fielding and additional special-operations demand for small-unit precision engagement.
Role detailsSwitchblade has grown from a backpackable small-unit munition into a family with close-in, medium-range, and extended-range anti-armor options. The tradeoff across the line is portability versus endurance, payload, and standoff distance.
| Variant | Role | Documented highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Switchblade 300 Block 20 | Backpackable precision strike | 30 km range, 20+ minutes endurance, and modular fragmentation or EFP payloads. |
| Switchblade 400 | Medium-range anti-armor | 65 km range, 35-minute endurance, rocket-assisted tube launch, and single-operator employment. |
| Switchblade 600 | Extended-range anti-armor strike | Self-contained tube launch, anti-armor warhead, dual EO/IR sensor suite, 40+ minutes endurance, 60+ km demonstrated standoff, and 90+ km forward-pass range. |
| Switchblade 600 Block 2 | Next-generation 600-family strike | 50+ minutes endurance, 100+ km handoff and relay range, maritime hardening, and inclusion with 300 Block 20 systems in the 2026 Army delivery order. |
AeroVironment groups the current Switchblade family around increasingly larger tube-launched loitering munitions: the backpackable 300 Block 20, medium-range anti-armor 400, and 600-family systems for longer-range anti-armor strike.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| Switchblade 300 Block 20 | Backpackable close-range loitering munition | Current lightweight model with 30 km range, 20+ minutes endurance, EO/IR sensing, and fragmentation or EFP payload options. Sources: Switchblade 300 Block 20 |
| Switchblade 400 | Medium-range anti-armor loitering munition | Man-portable rocket-assisted tube-launch variant with 65 km range, 35-minute endurance, and anti-armor targeting for tanks and heavy armor. Sources: Switchblade® 400 - AeroVironment |
| Switchblade 600 | Extended-range anti-armor loitering munition | Self-contained tube-launched system with an anti-armor warhead, dual EO/IR targeting, 40+ minutes endurance, 60+ km demonstrated standoff range, and 90+ km forward-pass range. Sources: Switchblade 600, Switchblade 600 Datasheet |
| Switchblade 600 Block 2 | Next-generation 600-family anti-armor variant | Next-generation 600-family model with 50+ minutes endurance, 100+ km handoff and relay range, IP67 maritime hardening, and inclusion in the 2026 Army delivery order with 300 Block 20 systems. Sources: Switchblade 600 Block 2, Switchblade Archives, AV Receives $186 Million U.S. Army Delivery Order for Next-Generation Switchblade Systems |
PERCH extends Switchblade from a portable tube-launched munition into a vehicle-integrated loitering-munition option for protected maneuver platforms.
| Launcher | Launcher type | Launch evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Main battle tank launch platform | The PERCH modular kit was demonstrated on an M1A2 Abrams SEPv3, including launch of Switchblade 300 and Switchblade 600 munitions from an Abrams during the MARS event. Sources: AV and GDLS Demonstrate PERCH Loitering Munitions Launcher |
 | Infantry carrier vehicle launch platform | AeroVironment and General Dynamics Land Systems described PERCH as integrating Switchblade 300 and Switchblade 600 loitering munitions into Stryker infantry carrier vehicles for beyond-line-of-sight surveillance and lethality. Sources: AV and GDLS Demonstrate PERCH Loitering Munitions Launcher |
AeroVironment says Switchblade was first fielded in 2011 under U.S. Army urgent-needs requirements.
Sources: AeroVironment Completes Development and Begins Production of Switchblade Tactical Missile System Upgrade
AV says the system had been deployed in support of urgent operational needs to combat theaters since 2012.
Sources: AV's Switchblade 300 Selected for U.S. Marine Corps' Organic Precision Fires-Light Program
Bloomberg reporting republished by the Houston Chronicle said U.S. military personnel had used Switchblade in Afghanistan and that Army officials described early fielding against Taliban targets.
Sources: U.S. using kamikaze drones against Taliban
AeroVironment announced production of the Block 10C digital Switchblade upgrade for the Army LMAMS capability.
Sources: AeroVironment Completes Development and Begins Production of Switchblade Tactical Missile System Upgrade
AV said Switchblade 300 had been used by Ukrainian forces and that production would ramp up after that use; later reporting identified Switchblade 600 combat footage in Ukraine.
Sources: Switchblade kamikaze drone production to ramp up following Ukraine use, Video Confirms Tank-Busting Switchblade-600 Drone In Ukraine
The U.S. Marine Corps selected the 300 Block 20 for OPF-L, with an initial order of $8.9 million and AV citing 6,000+ tested, produced, and fielded systems.
Sources: AV's Switchblade 300 Selected for U.S. Marine Corps' Organic Precision Fires-Light Program
AeroVironment announced the Switchblade 600 Block 2, Switchblade 400, and an EFP-equipped Switchblade 300 Block 20, citing frontline Ukrainian use and a production ramp-up for Switchblade 600.
Sources: AV Unveils Next Generation of Switchblade Loitering Munitions
AeroVironment and General Dynamics Land Systems announced a PERCH demonstration integrating Switchblade 300 and 600 loitering munitions with Abrams and Stryker vehicles.
Sources: AV and GDLS Demonstrate PERCH Loitering Munitions Launcher
The U.S. Army awarded AV a $186 million delivery order for Switchblade 600 Block 2 and Switchblade 300 Block 20 systems.
Sources: AV Receives $186 Million U.S. Army Delivery Order for Next-Generation Switchblade Systems
