AeroVironment Has Provided 350 Switchblade Aircraft For The Purpose

Earlier this year, the Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) made an urgent request for 325 "Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile Systems" (LMAMS) for use in the fight against ISIS. 

The request described the LMAMS as a "single man-portable/operable, light-weight organic, beyond line-of-sight precision guided, loitering aerial missile system capable of locating and engaging obscured and/or fleeting enemy targets who otherwise cannot be engaged by typical direct fire weapons systems."

The system that has been delivered to SOCCENT is the AeroVironment Switchblade, which the company describes as a "miniature flying lethal missile", according to a report from Business Insider. It can fly at speeds up to 100 miles per hour for about 15 minutes. The company has already delivered 350 of the drones to troops in the field, according to the report.

But the payload for the Switchblade is small, and the Army is working on developing unmanned aircraft that are somewhat larger, but still man-portable. Defense One reports that Army Col. John Reim, the head of the Warrior program office for U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), said the goal is to "create organic firepower and situational awareness in so many of the places we operate in.”

The enemy is also working to weaponize drones. SOCOM Commander Gen. Ray Thomas said he recently met with two troops who had come across an off-the-shelf commercial quadcopter that had been adapted by ISIS to carry a 40mm weapon.

SOCOM is also now working with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab to develop drone jammers which could detect and disable enemy drones.

(Image from file)

FMI: Original report