{"id":68152,"date":"2024-08-28T19:36:15","date_gmt":"2024-08-28T19:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2024\/08\/28\/aerovironment-wins-nearly-1b-to-supply-switchblade-munitions-to-army\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:02:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:02:41","slug":"aerovironment-wins-nearly-1b-to-supply-switchblade-munitions-to-army","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2024\/08\/28\/aerovironment-wins-nearly-1b-to-supply-switchblade-munitions-to-army\/","title":{"rendered":"Aerovironment wins nearly $1B to supply Switchblade munitions to Army"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The U.S. Army has awarded Aerovironment a contract worth up to $990 million to provide Switchblade loitering munitions<\/a> for infantry battalions, according to a Pentagon announcement posted Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Defense Department announced the contract to supply \u201can organic, stand-off capability to dismounted infantry formations capable of destroying tanks, light armored vehicles, hardened targets, defilade and personnel targets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funding will be determined with each order and the Pentagon estimates the work will be completed in five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aerovironment said in a statement Wednesday it expects to begin delivering systems to the Army \u201cin months.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The contract fulfills the service\u2019s directed requirement for loitering munitions for <\/b>soldiers in infantry battalions, the company said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Switchblades are tube-launched munitions with small wings that pop out like a switchblade knife when ejected and can be flown like drones. They are designed to hit targets and detonate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Army has used the Switchblade for more than a decade, but as the systems have been sent to Ukraine <\/a>and used with great success by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the service has recognized its broader utility within its own force.<\/p>\n\n\n\t