What Is The Switchblade 600 Drone, And Why Is The US Army Buying It?

Unmanned aerial vehicles, otherwise known simply as UAVs, like the MQ-9 Reaper, have gradually become the military's 21st-century platform for reconnaissance and combat, minimizing the risk for human personnel. The U.S. Army is looking to add other drones to its inventory, starting with the AeroVironment-built Switchblade 600, which will be mass-produced through the Pentagon's Replicator Initiative. Before the Replicator program took an interest in the drone, the Army already planned to purchase small quantities of the Switchblade 600 after seeing what it has been capable of in Ukraine, Syria, and Iraq.

The Switchblade 600 has effective sensors and optics that allow it to track and engage targets it doesn't even have a line of sight on. It can launch after only 10 minutes or prep from a tube. It's no Reaper, but its 40 minutes of loitering time and range of just over 24 miles is more than enough for the Army to accomplish the missions it wants the Switchblade 600 for. For reconnaissance, it flies around 70 mph, but if the mission calls for expediency, the Switchblade 600 can fly as fast as 115 mph. It also comes armed with an anti-tank warhead that can cause considerable damage to tanks and other anti-personnel targets.

Better yet, soldiers can operate them manually, or, if needed, the drone can act autonomously. Now, the Army is acquiring more than 1,000 of these drones, but because the Replicator Initiative is fielding other similar systems, it could be getting more than just the Switchblade 600. But why did it select AeroVironment's little drone?

The biggest draw to add the Switchblade 600 to America's arsenal of drones came from its proven record in battle zones like Ukraine. Reuters points out that this move emphasizes the Pentagon's effort "to strengthening the U.S. military's technological edge, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region." Some have called the Switchblade 600 a kamikaze drone because of its anti-armor warhead, allowing it to go head-to-head with larger targets. 

However, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks via DefenseScoop has said they're more interested in its loitering capabilities, "I don't think 'kamikaze drone' is the right way to think about it. You need to think, again, well beyond the kinetic side of this into the ability to deliver logistics, command and control, ISR, if you will, and again, multiple domains."

Hicks is the one who announced the Replicator Initiative in August 2023. One of its stated goals is to counter China's ongoing military buildup, with Hicks telling the National Defense Industrial Association, "Replicator is meant to help us overcome the [People's Republic of China]'s biggest advantage, which is mass. More ships, more missiles, more people." The Switchblade isn't exactly a mini drone, but it is small enough for individual soldiers to carry and deploy, expanding their capability in the field. The contract offered to AeroVironment is worth up to $990 million.