Pentagon’s Drone Program Selects AeroVironment’s Switchblade 600

The Pentagon river entrance in Arlington, Va., on Oct. 25, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

The Department of Defense has announced new details about its Replicator initiative, a project aimed at fielding thousands of all-domain attritable autonomous (ADA2) systems to counter the Chinese regime’s military in a possible conflict.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks announced that Switchblade 600—a loitering munition produced by Virgina-based drone maker AeroVironment—is part of the first tranche of systems for the Replicator program, according to a statement issued by the Pentagon on May 6.

“The first tranche of Replicator capabilities include uncrewed surface vehicles (USV), uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) and counter-uncrewed aerial systems (c-UAS) of various sizes and payloads from several traditional and non-traditional vendors,” the Pentagon said.

Currently, China boasts the world’s largest navy and could soon have the world’s largest air force. To counter the regime’s military mass, the Pentagon unveiled the Replicator initiative in August 2023, with the goal of fielding thousands of low-cost ADA2 systems by August 2025.

Ukraine’s military has been deploying Switchblade 600 and the smaller Switchblade 300 against Russian troops.

“U.S.-supplied Switchblade drones have already demonstrated their utility in Ukraine, and this system will provide additional capability to U.S. forces,” the Pentagon added.

According to AeroVironment’s website, Switchblade 600 can provide reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition. It can fly for about 40 minutes before hitting a moving target with its anti-armor warhead. It can loiter at 70 mph and spring up to 115 mph.

“I am pleased to announce that the Department will begin investing in scalable production for these critical capabilities,” Ms. Hicks said. “We are taking an important step toward strengthening our defense and technology industrial base.

“We are demonstrating the Department’s ability to break down barriers to scaling innovation at speed not just for ADA2 systems, but in our ability to develop new capabilities and processes for the Department and key stakeholders, including Congress.”

The Pentagon will spend about $500 million on the Replicator initiative in the current fiscal year, according to the statement. This figure includes about $300 million from this year’s defense appropriations bill, with additional money from “existing authorities and Defense-wide sources.”

The department has requested roughly another $500 million for the next fiscal year, according to the statement.

“These investments bring together the capabilities of a broad range of traditional and nontraditional technology companies, including systems vendors, component manufacturers, and software developers,” the Pentagon wrote.

The statement said Replicator’s other capabilities “remain classified, including others in the maritime domain and some in the counter-UAS portfolio.” It also noted that the Pentagon is “preparing the next tranche of capabilities to add to the ADA2 portfolio.”

It is unclear where the Replicator drones will be stationed. Japan and the Philippines are likely locations, considering that President Joe Biden hosted the first-ever trilateral summit with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The summit aimed to strengthen defense ties among the three nations in the face of communist China’s aggression.

Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), said the Pentagon’s announcement “is a critical step“ in delivering the capabilities needed, at the scale and speed needed, to ”continue securing a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Adm. Paparo assumed command of INDOPACOM from Adm. John C. Aquilino on May 3.

“The PRC is the only country with both the will—and, increasingly, the capacity— to dominate the Indo-Pacific and to reshape the global order to suit its autocratic vision,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at the ceremony, using the abbreviation for China’s official name, the People’s Republic of China.

“And that’s why the PRC remains the Department’s pacing challenge.”