U.S. Special Ops Command Orders Switchblade 600 Tactical Missile Systems Hardware

The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) awarded AeroVironment $20.3 million for the procurement of Switchblade 600 tactical missile systems (TMS).

The contract was signed on September 28, 2021. Delivery is scheduled to be completed by January 2023.

“Switchblade 600 is a man-portable tactical missile that provides warfighters with the capability to fly, track and engage non-line-of-sight targets and light-armored vehicles with precision lethal effects,” said Brett Hush, vice president and product line general manager for TMS. “The tube-launched, Switchblade 600 can be easily transported for deployment from fixed and mobile platforms in any environment, providing operators with superior force overmatch and minimizing exposure to direct and indirect enemy fires.”

Switchblade 600 is equipped with a high-performance EO/IR gimbaled sensor suite, precision flight control and more than 40 minutes of flight time to deliver unprecedented tactical reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA). Its anti-armor warhead enables engagement and prosecution of hardened static and moving light armored vehicles from multiple angles without external ISR or fires assets. Switchblade 600’s patented wave-off and recommit capability allows operators to abort the mission at any time and then re-engage either the same or other targets multiple times based on operator command, resulting in minimal to no collateral damage.