AeroVironment Expands Switchblade Family with 400, 300 Block 20 Upgrades and VAPOR CLE VTOL Platform

AV announced three updates to the Switchblade line and introduced a compact VTOL helicopter UAS for longer missions with heavier payloads. The reveals at AUSA in Washington tie to Army efforts on loitering munitions and Group 2 drones.

Switchblade 400 Targets LASSO Requirements

Switchblade 400 is aimed at the Army’s Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance requirement. All-up weight stays under 40 pounds and payload is about seven pounds. Company officials describe a multi-purpose, Javelin-class warhead paired with a lighter dual-band sensor set to keep mass down and still defeat armor at standoff. Rocket-assisted tube launch and a common launch-tube footprint support vehicle mounts and fixed racks and reduce new-equipment training.

Range is roughly 65 km in a dash profile, according to industry sources. Endurance sits in the mid-30-minute bracket when crews need time on station. For targets 20 to 35 km away, operators can trade transit for about 15 to 27 minutes of loiter without dropping below LASSO lethality. AV positions the 400 between the 300 and the 600 to give dismounted teams an anti-armor option without a large launcher.

Electronics use an open architecture. AV highlights an NVIDIA-based onboard processor, Automatic Target Recognition support, modular warhead options, and radio bays built for quick swaps as waveforms and crypto evolve. Defense officials confirm LASSO still calls for a sub-40-pound round with about 40 km reach and rapid setup, and the 400 lands inside that spec. An AV loitering-munitions lead said, “We basically put the Switchblade 600 on a diet. It’s below 40 pounds so your average infantry soldier is going to be able to carry it, move with it, kneel with it and shoot with it.”

Switchblade 600 Block 2 Adds Endurance, Relay, and Maritime Rating

Switchblade 600 Block 2 lifts endurance by about 20 percent over the prior baseline, extends handoff and relay beyond 100 km, and carries an IP67 ingress rating for maritime staging. The update adds encrypted M-Code GPS, stronger edge processing for ATR, and integrated Silvus MANET radios to keep control links alive in crowded or jammed bands. A secondary payload bay supports mission kits next to the main warhead, moving the 600 into strike plus limited sensing roles when required.

Setup time stays under ten minutes based on datasheet figures and teams can launch from vehicles or expeditionary sites. Crews can fly low AGL ingress or higher transit depending on terrain. Handoff lets an ISR team or higher headquarters push control to a shooter element closer to the target or to a relay node with better link margin.

Officials trace the refresh to two field lessons. Units demanded more dwell with more robust datalinks in urban and rural fights, and naval users wanted a round that tolerates spray and salt. IP67 sealing and hardened connectors address maritime handling. Improved processing and ATR sharpen target cues with the operator in the loop.

Output is scaling, according to industry sources. AV reports production rose from roughly 40 to about 240 systems per month over the last year and targets about 1,200 per month once new capacity comes online. A second US factory in Salt Lake City is planned to supplement California in late 2026 or early 2027. Those dates align to Block 2 deliveries targeted for early 2026 and add headroom for Army demand tied to Replicator and LASSO.

Switchblade 300 Block 20 Adds Modular EFP and Extended Range

Switchblade 300 Block 20 remains backpackable and adds a modular payload bay with an explosively formed penetrator option. The sub-eight-pound round can hit armored targets along with soft-skin and dismounted threats. Setup takes a couple of minutes. A tablet fire control supports tap-to-target and multiple commit angles, including top-attack profiles that fit EFP effects. Range runs about 25 to 30 km with the extended antenna kit and endurance exceeds 20 minutes in the standard configuration.

The sensor package gains better stabilization and a panning camera to improve PID before launch. Wave-off and recommit features remain, reducing risk when a friendly marker or a civilian vehicle appears in the aim area. The modular build lets teams swap payloads without pulling an entire round from circulation.

Officials familiar with unit feedback say squads want a portable tool that can cross a valley, work a river line, and still carry enough punch if an armored car or IFV pushes forward. The Block 20 EFP option addresses that need inside a rucksack-class round.

VAPOR CLE Two-Hour Endurance Platform

VAPOR Compact Long Endurance enters the Group 2 slot with more mission time and higher lift than earlier VAPOR models. Endurance reaches up to 120 minutes in cruise and about 100 minutes in hover. Usable payload spans 5 to 24 pounds. Link range reaches up to 32 km. Gross weight ranges from 32 to 68 pounds by configuration. The aircraft runs fully electric, uses a coaxial rotor layout, and carries a ruggedized airframe for rough handling. A seven-cubic-foot, 35-pound packout case uses tool-less assembly and roughly halves earlier packout volume and mass so small teams can move the system without dedicated vehicles.

Onboard compute shifts to an NVIDIA Orin module. AV ties it to AV_Halo Vision for ATR and object tracking and to the WISARD AI or ML suite. The autonomy stack covers waypoint missions, target handoff from other sensors, and controlled return to base in degraded conditions. AV lists more than two dozen payloads across ISR, electronic support, electronic attack, precision-strike carriage, and micro-resupply. Controller commonality across the portfolio includes compatibility with AV_Halo Command handhelds to shorten training and reduce spares.

“We built the VAPOR CLE around what warfighters told us they needed most – more time over target, greater lift for mission-critical payloads, and a system rugged enough to survive the toughest environments,” said Jason Wright, a senior product line manager. Jason Hendrix, AV’s vice president of small uncrewed systems, added, “Every detail of the VAPOR CLE reflects an upgrade driven by real-world mission needs. By doubling endurance, increasing lift, and adding onboard autonomy, we’ve transformed the system into a combat-ready tool that gives warfighters more capability in a smaller, more adaptable package.”

Production Scaling and Operational Integration

Army adoption trends continue to drive these product moves. Switchblade 600 buys seeded early LASSO phases and the model links publicly to Replicator. LASSO aims to give infantry brigades organic long-reach strike against armor and point targets without a long call-for-fire chain. The new 400 supports that aim alongside the endurance and networking lift on 600 Block 2. The 300 Block 20 stays useful at patrol level.

Capacity growth appears in company disclosures. AV describes monthly output in the hundreds today and a plan to reach four-figure monthly runs when the new factory opens. Management completed the BlueHalo transaction in May, which folds in counter-UAS and space portfolios and explains references to AI or ML stacks and radio families that earlier sat under a different brand. That broader radio and autonomy bench lets Switchblade and VAPOR integrate with Army tools such as ATAK and Nett Warrior, according to industry sources.

Electronic warfare pressure remains the hard problem for small munitions and VTOLs. The current Switchblade updates answer it with three measures. M-Code hardens GPS. Mesh radios raise fade margin and improve resilience in heavy multipath. More edge processing cuts round-trip link load during target classification. No system is immune to layered EW, yet these changes reduce single-point failures a jammer can exploit. Maritime staging adds a second stressor. IP67 housings and connectors do not erase corrosion from salt fog and spray, yet they allow closer placement to water where reaction time matters.

Export interest tracks the US requirement set, officials say. The Army’s modular open-systems choices favor common interfaces, common tablets, and common launch rails. Partners that mirror those choices field faster and avoid bespoke integration. The Switchblade 400’s common launch-tube fit supports vehicle and shipboard mounts. The 300 Block 20 EFP option suits forces that face armor at short notice. The 600 Block 2 relay feature benefits dispersed units in archipelagos or mountain terrain.

Interoperability spans the series. Shared tablet UIs, encrypted datalinks, and common mission planning appear across Switchblade variants. MOSA alignment and a common launch tube on the 400 plus the secondary payload bay on the 600 point to cleaner fits with unit command systems. For VAPOR CLE, the autonomy and ATR stack tied to AV_Halo Vision lets the aircraft fly as a sensor truck, a relay, or a strike carrier based on payload and mission file.

Our analysis shows the refresh stretches coverage from pocketable anti-personnel shots to long-reach anti-armor with stronger links and adds a compact VTOL that keeps heavier payloads airborne for about two hours. Delivery volume now depends on added factory capacity arriving on schedule, with early 2026 pegged for 600 Block 2 deliveries and 300 Block 20 moving through Army qualification. Defense officials confirm FY26 planning keeps loitering munitions and launched effects in focus.

AeroVironment Expands Switchblade Family with 400, 300 Block 20 Upgrades and VAPOR CLE VTOL Platform

Switchblade 400 Targets LASSO Requirements

Switchblade 600 Block 2 Adds Endurance, Relay, and Maritime Rating

Switchblade 300 Block 20 Adds Modular EFP and Extended Range

VAPOR CLE Two-Hour Endurance Platform

Production Scaling and Operational Integration

REFERENCE SOURCES

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