Switchblade 300 / 600
Loitering munition · also known as Switchblade 300 Block 20, Switchblade 600 Block 2
| Designer / manufacturer | AeroVironment |
|---|---|
| Countries | United States |
| Production | United States (plant not specified in sources reviewed) |
| Operators | United States, United Kingdom, Lithuania, Ukraine, New Zealand |
| Estimated unit cost | $52.914k–$80k per round, reported (2023) · source |
| Confidence | medium |
Other published estimates
| Estimate | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|
| $80k–$176k, estimate (2023) | Switchblade 600, between S300 and Javelin per Defense Post; not an Army figure | thedefensepost.com |
| $58.063k, contract figure (2022) | Army FY2022 budget, per all-up round | www.19fortyfive.com |
Reported characteristics
| switchblade-300-block20 | {'rangeKm': 30, 'enduranceMin': '20+', 'munitionKg': 1.68} |
|---|---|
| switchblade-600 | {'rangeKm': '40+ (90+ with Forward Pass)', 'enduranceMin': '40+', 'munitionKg': 15} |
Notes
The Switchblade 600 has no published unit price. Contract totals cover multiple types.
Who uses it and how they obtain it
How each user obtains this type, from open sources (research note of 12 October 2026). Confidence concerns the route claim: high means several independent authoritative sources or an official source; medium, one good source with supporting coverage; low, a single source, a party's claim or visual similarity only. 'Contested' means a party denies it, sources disagree, or it rests only on a party's claim. Several primary documents were only reachable through secondary coverage. This is background on the type, not evidence about any specific incident. Explanations are in English.
| User | How obtained | Explanation and sources |
|---|---|---|
| United States | own production Confidence: high | Built by AeroVironment; US Army delivery orders (for example USD 54.9 million in October 2024, work in Simi Valley, California) also cover allied buyers such as Lithuania, Romania and Sweden. Components: Not documented in the sources found. |
| Ukraine | import / supply Confidence: medium | The Pentagon committed 100 Switchblade systems in March 2022 through a presidential drawdown package (both the 300 and 600 were mentioned, variants unspecified). The quantity actually delivered is not documented in the sources found. Components: Not applicable (finished munition). |
| Lithuania | import / supply Confidence: high | Lithuania contracted Switchblade 600 from the US government (about EUR 45 million, December 2022) and said it also planned to buy the Switchblade 300. Components: Not applicable (finished munition). |
| United Kingdom | not documented Confidence: low | A US contract notice indicated UK investment in Switchblade loitering munitions, but no official UK order was announced, and the October 2024 AeroVironment release names Lithuania, Romania and Sweden as allied customers. Components: unknown |
| New Zealand | not documented Confidence: low | No New Zealand Switchblade purchase was found; the defence minister said in July 2025 that the ministry intends to buy loitering munitions without naming a type. Components: unknown |
Dossiers mentioning this type
No published dossier names this type yet.
Sources
- https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/04/the-u-s-army-wont-buy-anymore-switchblade-300-kamikaze-drones/
- https://www.avinc.com/tms/switchblade-600
- https://avinc.com/images/uploads/product_docs/Switchblade_300_Block20_Datasheet.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AeroVironment_Switchblade
Cost figures are published estimates from third parties and vary widely; they are not DroneLedger assessments. Corrections: About, corrections & privacy.
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