The Switchblade, loitering munitions, and the new terrifying face of warfare

In 2010, my biggest fear was IEDs, or improvised explosive devices. A random bomb implanted in the ground with my name on it. There is a reason why there are so many agreements in place that regulate anti-personnel landmine usage.

Then, in 2011, the AeroVironment Switchblade 300 drone, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), was introduced. 

By 2020, it had evolved into the Switchblade 600, a much larger and more capable drone designed to terminate armored units.

In Ukraine, small drones became a full-blown method of waging war. Reflecting that, in 2022, over 700 Switchblade 300s were sent to the Ukrainians.

What is a loitering munition 

I once got a warning for loitering at a 7/11 when I was 14 and waiting for my mom to pick me up from practice, so legally, I’m quite the expert.

“Loitering munition” is military parlance for “suicide drone.” The term has been around since the 1980s.

There are various drone types, from mini recon drones to massive Reapers carrying Hellfire missiles. Somewhere in that food chain sit the Switchblade suicide drones – aerial weapons with built-in warheads. These drones loiter around an area waiting for the enemy.

Initially, the U.S. wanted Switchblades to be used as a counter-ambush tool in Afghanistan. During my time there, we had the Raven, which was a UAV that could spot enemies but not engage them. However, the Switchblade could spot the enemy and then fly explosives into them. 

The Marine Corps began using them to hit IEDs and IED emplacement teams as they were a safe way to destroy these threats. The Army had a very positive experience with the Switchblade systems, and while there isn’t much information on their use, it urgently requested more of them. 

The benefits of these devices are numerous. First, air support takes time to obtain. On the other hand, an infantry unit can deploy a Switchblade and attack the threat without waiting for a jet or helicopter to spin up. Second, they are light, tellingly a Switchblade 300 weighs only 5.5 pounds, so a soldier can carry it with his gear. 

The big boy – Switchblade 600 

While the 300 series were anti-personnel weapons; the 600 was aimed at disabling tanks. As a result, it is a much bigger drone weighing 33 pounds and measuring 51 inches long. If we include the launching system or fire control unit the total weight is about 120 pounds. 

Developed for the Army’s Single Multi-Mission Attack Missle program, the 600 series has a range of 25 miles with a loiter time of 20 minutes once on target. Its speed can reach 115 miles per hour. It’s armed with an anti-tank-guided missile warhead based on the FGM-148 Javelin.

Systems like the Switchblade 600 offer anti-tank capability without requiring an exposed infantryman to take the shot and without the need to call for close air support. 

The Switchblade 600 was recently tapped to become a part of the Replicator initiative that aims to provide a rapid manufacturing capability of critical weapon systems.

Related: The Marines’ drone-killing machine preps for ultimate gear test

UAVs, loitering Munitions, and the future 

The rise of UAVs in Ukraine has been a harsh wake-up call. Small UAVs dropping explosives, Iranian and American suicide drones, and more. While I can certainly see the advantages of these systems, they terrify the infantryman inside of me.

War is not an honorable fight, but a knife showdown in the mud. Loitering munitions could become the landmines of the future. Yet, the disconnect between the drone and its operator, the potential for civilian casualties, as well as the inability to control surrendering enemies makes them a potentially controversial munition. 

To counter that, their use could be regulated through international treaties, the same way anti-personnel mines and IEDs are. At the same time, enforcing weapon treaties is very difficult and the infantrymen in the trenches finds no solace in warrants issued by an international criminal court. 

I only hope the investment in counter-drone technology is as big as that in drone and loitering munitions technology. 

Feature Image: U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Jonathan Altamirano, a fire support Marine with 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO), I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, launches a lethal miniature aerial missile system during an exercise at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Sept. 2, 2020. During the exercise, 1st ANGLICO’s mission was to launch, locate, track, lock and engage a simulated enemy target with an unmanned aerial system. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Jennessa Davey)

Read more from Sandboxx News

• Boeing has managed to win the contract for America’s NGAD fighter
• 3 new television shows to watch to make service time pass faster
• America’s first 6th-gen fighter jet will be Boeing’s F-47, Trump just announced
• Everything they got wrong about the Harrier in “True Lies”
• Before the Navy SEALs came the Underwater Demolition Teams