The US Army has ordered an initial batch of over 100 Switchblade 600 loitering munitions for testing and fielding.
The anti-tank weapon is intended to arm the service’s infantry brigade combat teams, enabling soldiers to engage targets up to 24 miles (38.62 kilometers) away.
Low Altitude Strike Ordnance
It’s been ordered as part of a Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance program phase 1 requirement, Breaking Defense reported, citing the head of Army acquisition, Doug Bush.
Follow up phases are likely to see more options, Breaking Defense added.
“There’ll be entry points for other vendors, potentially, because there’s so much innovation in that space,” the outlet quoted Bush as saying.
“We can’t tie ourselves to one indefinitely.”
Features
A single person can launch the AeroVironment drone from a set up within 10 minutes.
The munition can remain airborne for over 40 minutes.
It spots a target and darts toward it at a speed of 115 miles (185 kilometers) per hour, and its accuracy can be enhanced through the use of secondary drones as spotters.
In Response to Ukraine War
The service unveiled the effort last month in response to the Ukraine war, where it has been extensively deployed.
The procurement’s exact quantity, cost, and expected delivery time are undisclosed.
The Switchblade 600’s cost per unit has yet to be revealed.
However, it is likely to fall somewhere in between its smaller cousin Switchblade 300’s $80,000 and the Javelin’s $176,000, according to Defense One.
