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Breaking Defense: After ‘Inflection Point’ of Ukraine, Switchblade Maker AeroVironment Unveils Upgrades, Goes Global

May 11, 2023

SOF WEEK 2023 — California firm AeroVironment has been producing loitering munitions and other drones for the US military for more than a decade, but the war in Ukraine has become an “inflection point” for the firm, according to CEO Wahid Nawabi.

Through security aid packages, the Pentagon has sent hundreds of the company’s Switchblade suicide drones — both the smaller 300 version and the larger 600 version — to Ukraine, along with AeroVironment’s bigger Puma surveillance UAV. The systems’ reported success on the battlefield has prompted other militaries to take notice.

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