AeroVironment’s (AV) Switchblade 600 loitering munition system has been selected for Tranche 1 of the first iteration of the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) Replicator initiative. AV’s Switchblade 600 is a man-portable, extended-range loitering munition system equipped with an anti-armor warhead for engaging larger, hardened targets at greater distances. The first iteration of the Replicator initiative aims to accelerate all-domain, attritable autonomous systems to warfighters at speed and scale. The first iteration of the Replicator initiative will field thousands of autonomous systems across multiple domains within the next 18-24 months, as part of the Pentagon’s strategy to counter peer adversaries’ rapid military buildup.
“Switchblade 600 is a battle-proven system in full-rate production that can support the DoD’s desire to field thousands of autonomous systems across multiple warfighting domains. Our uncrewed systems, autonomy technology and computer vision software can help achieve multidomain operations in a heavily contested battlespace, at very low costs and high levels of resiliency. We have not only invested in the maturation of such disruptive technologies but also the production capability and capacity to produce large volumes at the level of reliability that the U.S. DoD expects,” said AV’s SVP of Loitering Munition Systems, Brett Hush.
The initiative will prioritize the fielding of attritable capabilities — affordable uncrewed platforms that allow commanders to tolerate a higher degree of risk in employing these “force multiplying” systems. Equipped with advanced sensors and precision flight control, Switchblade 600 is capable of quick and easy deployment via tube launch and can fly, track and engage non-line of sight targets. Switchblade 600’s patented wave-off and recommit capability allows operators to abort the mission and re-engage as the mission requires.
For over 50 years, AeroVironment have devoted ourselves to creating simpler more innovative solutions that extend the reach and awareness of military and commercial customers. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the company are driven to seek more powerful ways to combine advances in such future defining technologies as robotics, sensors, software analytics and connectivity to generate even more meaningful information and to elevate customers’ capacity to make smarter, quicker decisions. AeroVironment pioneered and is a leader in the markets for small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Loitering Munition Systems, Unmanned Ground Vehicles and High-Altitude Pseudo-Satellites. The company empower troops, engineers and more with actionable intelligence they need to proceed with certainty.
