Switchblade 600 kamikaze drones in the running for Replicator mass production
With a 24-mile range, 40 minutes of loitering endurance and the ability to fly at speeds of up to 115 miles per hour, Switchblade 600s are built to destroy armored vehicles and other targets in multi-domain military operations.
BY
BRANDI VINCENT
FEBRUARY 2, 2024
Switchblade 600 kamikaze drones are among the first set of systems Pentagon leadership and Congress are evaluating to be mass produced and rapidly scaled through the ambitious new Replicator initiative, multiple sources told DefenseScoop this week.
The DOD’s stated goal of Replicator is to counter China’s massive, ongoing military buildup by fielding thousands of attritable autonomous systems in multiple domains by August 2025. Replicator selections for to-be-fielded products will be made across roughly 10 technology portfolios or sets and announced in various tranches, with the first encompassing more “mature” capabilities that have already been proven within U.S. military components.
The Pentagon recently revealed that a small number of capabilities were chosen last month to be prioritized for the initial Replicator tranche — but officials would not identify them. In December, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Doug Bush had previously suggested to DefenseScoop that the service nominated several drone systems for the initiative.
Sources who spoke to DefenseScoop on the condition of anonymity this week said AeroVironment-built Switchblade 600 attack drones made Hicks’ cut for the Replicator loitering munitions capability set, via the Army’s Tactical Aviation and Ground Munitions (TAGM) program.
https://defensescoop.com/2024/02/02/switchblade-600-kamikaze-drones-replicator-mass-production/
