The deal in question is the $990-million contract awarded to AeroVironment on August 27 for an “organic, stand-off solution” capable of neutralizing hostile tanks, armored vehicles, and personnel targets.

Although the grounds for the petition have not yet been disclosed, the protest will halt production of the loitering munitions while the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviews the case.

An official decision is expected to be made within 100 calendar days as required by law.

If successful, Mistral’s protest could force the US Army to re-open a competition.

The Agreement

On August 28, AeroVironment confirmed it had entered a five-year agreement with the US Army to support its Lethal Unmanned Systems (LUS) requirement by supplying an undisclosed number of Switchblade attack drones.

The systems will be used by dismounted infantry formations to defend against the threats of enemy armored assets.

The company stated that its Switchblade munitions will enhance soldier lethality and give operators the ability to track and engage moving, non-line-of-sight targets.

“AV (AeroVironment) is proud to have been selected to provide Switchblade for this critical and urgent army requirement,” Senior VP Brett Hush noted.

Deliveries of the Switchblade systems were originally scheduled to begin in months, but the protest may delay them until next year.

‘Well Positioned’

The Switchblade is a tube-launched, precision-guided munition that is flown like a drone and detonates upon contact with the target.

It can stay airborne for up to 20 minutes to monitor the surroundings and search for a target.

Prior to Mistral’s protest, AeroVironment said that its Switchblade munitions offer “unmatched maturity and effectiveness” for various missions.

Additionally, the company affirmed it is well positioned to meet the army’s emerging needs by leveraging robust production capability and supply chain capacity.

“This contract further solidifies AV’s role as a leading provider of innovative unmanned solutions,” AeroVironment noted. “The company remains committed to supporting US Army missions by delivering advanced technology that ensures operational superiority”

The post Mistral Challenges US Army’s $990M Loitering Munition Deal With AeroVironment appeared first on The Defense Post.

The program seeks cost-effective “force multiplier” capabilities in the form of autonomous systems to counter Chinese threats across different domains.

For the Replicator’s first tranche, AeroVironment will supply its proprietary Switchblade 600 man-portable, extended-range loitering munition system, which has also been used by Ukraine against Russian forces.

The Switchblade 600 incorporates precision flight control and modern sensors to sustain rapid launch and engagement against non-line-of-sight targets.

The drone is designed with a patented “wave-off and recommit” solution, enabling users to abort neutralization and re-engage in unforeseen conditions.

The Switchblade 600 is equipped with anti-armor and anti-personnel effects. It has an endurance of more than 40 minutes, a range of up to 90 miles (56 miles), and speed up to 185 kilometers (115 miles) per hour.

“Switchblade 600 is a battle-proven system in full-rate production that can support the [Department of Defense’s] desire to field thousands of autonomous systems across multiple warfighting domains,” AeroVironment Loitering Munitions SVP Brett Hush remarked.

“Our uncrewed systems, autonomy technology and computer vision software can help achieve multi domain operations in a heavily contested battlespace, at very low costs and high levels of resiliency.”

“We have not only invested in the maturation of such disruptive technologies but also the production capability and capacity to produce large volumes at the level of reliability that the US [Department of Defense] expects.”

The Replicator Initiative

According to the Pentagon, the Replicator initiative will receive initial funding of approximately $500 million.

Work for the maritime domain will focus on unmanned surface vehicles and is now in process under the agency’s Production-Ready, Inexpensive, Maritime Expeditionary (PRIME) Commercial Solutions Opening.

PRIME, launched in January, has received more than 100 applications from commercial vendors.

Other Phase 1 articles for the Replicator’s maritime and counter-drone areas remain classified, the department wrote.

The overall Replicator program will be facilitated over 18 to 24 months, with approximate funding of $1 billion per year.

“This is a critical step in delivering the capabilities we need, at the scale and speed we need, to continue securing a free and open Indo-Pacific,” a statement from the Pentagon said.

“Meeting the strategic imperatives facing the nation requires that we harness the very best of America’s commercial technology in non-traditional partners, alongside our traditional sources of defense capabilities.”

“Replicator is helping us jumpstart the delivery of critical capabilities at scale. We will build on that momentum with industry partners to deliver what the warfighter needs, and remove barriers to doing so again and again.”

The post AeroVironment to Supply Loitering Munitions for Pentagon Replicator Program appeared first on The Defense Post.

If selected, the AeroVironment system will be “mass produced and rapidly scaled” for the Pentagon’s counter-China initiative, Defense Scoop revealed, citing sources.

It is the first reported system being considered for the initiative, for which a “small number of capabilities” have already been selected.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks did not specify the capabilities in January, saying that “acquisition strategies for specific platforms that could fill the bill” are being prepared.

“The deputy secretary selected capability areas in December. The military departments then identified specific systems and associated acquisition strategies to meet those capability needs,” Defense Scoop quoted Pentagon spokesperson Eric Pahon as saying.

“We submitted a spend plan and reprogramming requests to Congress. We hope they will act quickly, which will allow us to ramp up and accelerate production on Replicator capabilities. We aren’t able to provide specifics on the reprogramming request at this time,” he said.

The Switchblade 600 

The 15-kilogram (33-pound) aerial weapon features high-precision optics and an anti-armor warhead to take out hardened targets, including tanks.

It features an endurance of 40 minutes and a range of 40 kilometers (25 miles).

Loitering munitions is just one of the capabilities being considered for the initiative, which conceptually includes the deployment of thousands of unmanned systems to counter China’s growing military capability. 

“I don’t think ‘kamikaze drone’ is the right way to think about it. You need to think, again, well beyond the kinetic side of this into the ability to deliver logistics, command and control, ISR, if you will, and again, multiple domains,” the outlet quoted Hicks as saying.

Swarm of Unmanned Explosive Boats

Another potential Replicator capability being considered is swarms of unmanned surface vessels.

The Pentagon plans to deploy hundreds, if not thousands, of unmanned “interceptor” boats against a numerically superior Chinese Navy.

At least 120 vessels are expected to be produced annually from 2025 for the initiative under the Production-Ready, Inexpensive, Maritime Expeditionary project.

“This is their effort to try to get some new kinetic, lethal USV fielded that can be employed probably in a western Pacific context – maybe the Strait of Taiwan,” naval analyst Bryan Clark told USNI News about the project.

“They want to go out to the commercial world and say, ‘Alright, what do you got in terms of kinetic, lethal USVs that can be produced at scale’.”

The post US Considering Switchblade Drone Swarms for Counter-China Initiative appeared first on The Defense Post.

Jerusalem requested the AeroVironment loitering munitions along with other capabilities on or before October 30, Defense Scoop revealed, citing a Pentagon document.

The outlet claimed they have verified the report with multiple officials.

When the US will decide on the request is unclear, as is the potential delivery schedule.

Switchblade 600 

A single person can launch the system from a set up within 10 minutes.

It has a loitering endurance of 40 minutes and can strike a target 40 kilometers (25 miles) away.

The 15-kilogram (33-pound) drone features high-precision optics and an anti-armor warhead to take out hardened targets.

“Equipped with class-leading, high-resolution EO/IR gimbaled sensors and advanced precision flight control, Switchblade 600 empowers the warfighter with quick and easy deployment via tube-launch, and the capability to fly, track and engage non-line-of-sight targets and armored vehicles with precision lethal effects without the need for external ISR or fires assets,” AeroVironment stated.

Recent Deliveries to Israel

It comes as the US has requested assistance of $14 billion for Israel from Congress, as the Israeli military gears up for a long siege of Gaza.

The assistance package includes 100 Iron Dome systems and 14,000 Tamir interceptors.

In addition, Washington has sent precision munitions to Israel and also plans to send munition guidance kits to the country.

The post Israel Requests 200 Switchblade Kamikaze Drones From US appeared first on The Defense Post.

The anti-tank weapon is intended to arm the service’s infantry brigade combat teams, enabling soldiers to engage targets up to 24 miles (38.6 kilometers) away.

Low Altitude Strike Ordnance 

It’s been ordered as part of a Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance program phase 1 requirement, Breaking Defense reported, citing the head of army acquisition, Doug Bush.

Follow-up phases are likely to see more options, Breaking Defense added.

“There’ll be entry points for other vendors, potentially, because there’s so much innovation in that space,” the outlet quoted Bush.

“We can’t tie ourselves to one indefinitely.”

Features

A single person can launch the AeroVironment drone from a set up within 10 minutes. 

The munition can remain airborne for over 40 minutes. 

It spots a target and darts toward it at a speed of 115 miles (185 kilometers) per hour, and its accuracy can be enhanced through the use of secondary drones as spotters.

In Response to Ukraine War

The service unveiled the effort last month in response to the Ukraine war,  where it has been extensively deployed.

The procurement’s exact quantity, cost, and expected delivery time are undisclosed.

The Switchblade 600’s cost per unit has yet to be revealed. However, it is likely to fall somewhere in between its smaller cousin Switchblade 300’s $80,000 and the Javelin’s $176,000, according to Defense One.

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