ARLINGTON, Va., August 26, 2026 – AeroVironment, Inc. (“AV”) (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in defense technology, autonomous systems and precision strike solutions, today announced receipt of a $51 million delivery order from the United States Army for additional Switchblade® 600 Block 2 loitering munition systems. The order also includes Switchblade 600 Block 1 systems in support of a Foreign Military Sale to a key United States ally.
The order was awarded under the Army’s existing five-year, $990 million Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for Lethal Unmanned Systems (LUS), originally issued in August 2024.
This latest award represents a follow-on procurement to the Army’s initial order for the next-generation Switchblade product line and underscores the strong, sustained demand for AV’s battle-proven long-range, precision loitering munitions.
“Continued investment by the U.S. Army in Switchblade 600 Block 2 reflects both the growing demand for long-range, precision loitering munitions and the proven reliability of the Switchblade family in demanding operational environments,” said Brian Young, Senior Vice President of Loitering Munitions at AV. “Building on the success of Switchblade 600 Block 1, Block 2 continues to deliver the meaningful upgrades in autonomy, resilience, and lethality tailored to the Army’s needs in contested, multi-domain operations.”
This order also reflects AV’s expanding production capacity and performance on prior Switchblade 600 deliveries.
“This new delivery order under the LUS IDIQ further validates Switchblade 600 Block 2 as a next-generation, scalable fires solution for the Army,” said Young. “As we expand our manufacturing capacity and accelerate delivery timelines, we’re ensuring that U.S. soldiers have reliable, combat-proven loitering munitions that deliver precision effects at range while keeping them out of harm’s way.”
Since 2025, Switchblade 600 has been fielded across more than 20 brigade combat teams while hundreds of U.S. soldiers have been trained on the system’s operation and employment.
Switchblade 600 Block 2 is designed for multi-domain operations and ruggedized for maritime and highly contested environments. Developed in collaboration with United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM), the system incorporates upgraded avionics and advanced automatic target recognition including SPOTR AiTR, to enable faster detection, identification, and engagement of threats.
Integrated resilient communications, including Silvus MANET radios, support distributed operations and extended handoff ranges, while improved navigation and mission resilience allow effective employment in GPS-challenged environments. These enhancements provide commanders with increased reach, flexibility, and confidence against armored and other high-value targets.
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