AeroVironment has announced that in April, it received contract awards from the United States Army for procurement of its Switchblade Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System (LMAMS) and Contractor Logistics Support (CLS), bringing the total value of Switchblade awards to $111,054,202 since August 2017.

With the AeroVironment Switchblade, warfighters are provided with “rapid-response force protection and precision strike capabilities” up to 10 kilometers from its launch location. The Switchblade has been deployed by U.S. forces for more than five years.

Thanks to its high precision, along with specialized effects and wave-off capability, the Switchblade can minimize or even eliminate collateral damage. AeroVironment notes that the upgraded Block 10C Switchblade has extra enhancements, based on feedback from users.

“Switchblade is a highly effective and mature smart weapon system that delivers unmatched force protection and precision strike capabilities to American forces with minimal to no collateral effects,” says Kirk Flittie, AeroVironment vice president and general manager of its Unmanned Aircraft Systems business segment.

“Man-portable and lightweight, Switchblade is a uniquely powerful LMAMS solution for today’s complex combat environments. AeroVironment stands ready, with a battle-proven product, supply chain and production system, to respond rapidly to this and future requirements to ensure U.S. and allied forces can proceed with certainty.”

Funded through “Urgent Need Statements,” the contract awards include the first Switchblade order from the United States Marine Corps. The contracts, for which $78,095,737 has been funded, will be managed by the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal.

According to AeroVironment, the total value of Switchblade hardware awards is $67,763,386, and the total value of Switchblade CLS awards is $43,290,816, covering three years of services. Hardware deliveries under initial awards began last December, and are expected to continue through September of this year.