The U.S. State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) of Switchblade 300 Anti-Personnel and Anti-Armor Loitering Missile System and related equipment for an estimated cost of $60.2 million. The TECRO has requested to buy 720 Switchblade 300 (SB300) All Up Rounds (AURs) (includes 35 fly-to-buy AURs) and 101 SB300 fire control systems (FCS). The following non-Major Defense Equipment will also be included: first line spares packs; operator manuals; operator and maintenance training; logistics and fielding support; Lot Acceptance Testing (LAT); U.S. Government technical assistance, and other related elements of logistics and program support.
The AeroVironment Switchblade is a miniature loitering munition designed by AeroVironment and used by several branches of the United States military. Small enough to fit in a backpack, the Switchblade launches from a tube, flies to the target area, and crashes into its target while detonating its explosive warhead. The name Switchblade comes from how the spring-loaded wings are folded inside a tube and flipped out once released. Introduced in 2011, the original Switchblade was rebranded the Switchblade 300 after the much larger and very different Switchblade 600 anti-armor variant was unveiled in 2020. More than 700 Switchblade 300 drones were sent to Ukraine by the United States as part of an arms package after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Switchblade 300 is designed as an expendable UAV to offer precision firepower for platoon-sized infantry units. It helps engage long-range targets and assists in relieving units pinned down by enemy fire. It can identify, track, and engage targets and follow a pre-programmed course. It has been used to destroy light armored vehicles and personnel. The operator can call to re-target a unit en route. Its small size and silent flight makes it extremely difficult to detect or intercept. The U.S. Army categorizes the Switchblade as a missile rather than a drone. The term “loitering munition” is preferred. Unlike UAVs, it is not recoverable once launched. Its operation is similar to the wireless TOW missile through a fly-by-radio frequency signal. The TOW doesn’t loiter, but both have the same operator-in-the-loop characteristics.
The Switchblade is used alongside an existing counter-artillery radar and IED jamming system, all of which can be towed by Humvees. Interception of an enemy drone occurs in layers: if a drone gets through covering fighters or is too small to be targeted by them, it is picked up by the fire-finding radar. Once detected, the jammer performs electronic warfare to break its data link. If the drone resists EW, a Switchblade is launched to impact and destroy it physically. The warhead is designed for controlled firepower to reduce collateral damage through a focused blast. It has a forward-firing shotgun-blast effect rather than a 360-degree blast, expelling pellets in the direction that the missile is traveling. It can be fused to detonate at a predetermined height, which can be adjusted mid-flight.
