US Army Awards AeroVironment Loitering Missile Systems Contract
US Army Tactical Aviation and Ground Munitions has awarded AeroVironment a $20.6 million contract to deliver Switchblade 300 tactical missile systems (TMS).
Works for the agreement will be managed by the US Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, with the TMS set for delivery by July, 2023.
“Deployed by the US Army for more than a decade, Switchblade 300 remains a critical force protection and soldier lethality solution for our customers, including Ukraine,” AeroVironment Vice President and TMS General Manager Brett Hush said.
“It closes the gap between observation and action, giving soldiers the ability to identify threats and engage hostile beyond-line-of-sight targets from a greater distance with minimal collateral damage.”
The Switchblade 300
AeroVironment’s Switchblade 300 is a loitering missile that can be carried in a backpack and is easily deployed from ground platforms.
The missile has a multipack launcher that gives operators an advantage in rapid-response force protection. It can be set up for launch in less than two minutes.
The Switchblade 300 is integrated with sensor-to-shooter technology that combines the capabilities of AeroVironment’s small drones and Switchblade’s combat-proven accuracy.
The weapon can be launched up to six miles (10 kilometers) and an altitude of 500 feet (152 meters). It has a speed of 63 to 100 miles per hour (101 to 161 kilometers per hour).
It achieves lethality, precision, and low collateral effects through the assistance of real-time GPS coordinates and live video feed from a dual front and side-look electro-optical/infrared stabilized pan-tilt camera.
The Switchblade 300 is interoperable with common ground controllers to AeroVironment’s Raven, Puma AE, and Wasp AE drones.
AeroVironment’s Previous US Military Contracts
Earlier this month, AeroVironment secured an $8.5 million contract from the US Department of Defense to deliver Puma 3 AE drones to an allied nation.
In July, the US Army awarded AeroVironment a contract modification for additional Puma drones.
The company later received a $20.86 million contract in September to provide a separate batch of the waterproof drones to two undisclosed nations.
