Loitering munition to be developed for U.S. Army by AeroVironment
NewsMay 05, 2026
ARLINGTON, Virginia. AeroVironment won a U.S. Army prototype agreement for the Low-Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program to support development, delivery, and testing of its Switchblade 400 loitering munition, the company announced in a statement.
Switchblade 400 is a medium-range, man-portable loitering munition designed for anti-armor missions, the statement reads. The system is intended to support Army precision-strike requirements in contested environments, according to the company.
The loitering munition is built to operate within AeroVironment’s AV Halo command-and-control system and includes aided target recognition and autonomous functions for detecting, classifying, and engaging targets during day or night operations, the company says.
AeroVironment states that Switchblade 400 uses a design in alignment with the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) intended to support interoperability and future system upgrades. The system is sized for common launch tubes and has an all-up round weight of less than 40 pounds, making it a man-portable anti-tank weapon, the statement adds.
The LASSO award follows a recent $186 million U.S. Army delivery order for Switchblade 600 Block 2 and Switchblade 300 Block 20 explosively formed penetrator loitering munition systems, according to the company.
