AV unveils Switchblade 400 for Army LASSO and debuts VAPOR CLE compact long‑endurance helicopter UAS

AV (the merged AeroVironment/BlueHalo) expanded its loitering‑munition lineup at AUSA, revealing the Switchblade 400 aimed at the US Army's Low Altitude Stalking and Strike (LASSO) requirement, and debuted the upgraded VAPOR CLE, a compact long‑endurance electric helicopter UAS for persistent tactical ISR.

Discovered 2025-10-13T06:32:35.032610-07:00 | 2025-10-13T06:32:35.032610-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • AV’s Switchblade 400 directly targets an Army capability gap at a time of rising loitering‑munition procurement — underscored by the US Army’s recent $982 million Hero‑120 award and broader demand for small strike UAS (https://hype.aero/?story=40297ac5-a426-4d9c-8b1f-e9c2c15da157).
  • Adding a mid‑sized Switchblade complements recent demonstrations extending Switchblade reach and employment concepts, such as the first air launch of a Switchblade 600 from an MQ‑9A (https://hype.aero/?story=0e40a1d1-e8ab-435b-9154-bd07e5b452c5).
  • The VAPOR CLE’s focus on compact, long‑endurance VTOL ISR aligns with the Army’s move toward plug‑and‑play UAS payload ecosystems and common interface standards that speed fielding (https://hype.aero/?story=6147fb40-5d25-4395-bc2c-454dbedc651b).

Reported By

news.defcros.com Shephard Media uasvision.com asdnews.com grandfleet.info Aviation Week
Sources Tracked
11
First Seen
2025-10-13T06:32:35.032610-07:00
Latest Update
2025-10-16T11:09:06.211541-07:00
Coverage
Defense

Sources

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