California firm AeroVironment entersglobal market. CEO Wahid Nawabi said the war in Ukraine was a turning point for the company. He also announced the delivery of the latest Switchblade 300 Block 20 kamikaze drones to Ukraine.
What is known
The head of AeroVironment confirmed that from February 242022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine received Switchblade 300 and Switchblade 600 kamikaze drones along with Puma unmanned aerial vehicles. Other countries took notice of the company's products after that.
</ img>
Vahid Nawabi noted that Ukraine has awakenedmany clients. The US government has authorized the company to export Switchblade series kamikaze drones to allies and partners, which include 20 countries, including Ukraine. The latest customers are France and one unnamed country. AeroVironment has received a separate license to cooperate with each state.
The company recently announced a new versionSwitchblade 300. The kamikaze drone received the Block 20 update, which improved the camera control system and increased the flight time to 20 minutes. The weight of the ammunition has decreased to 2.3 kg. There is no information about other innovations.
</ img>
The head of AeroVironment did not answer a question aboutwhether Switchblade 300 Block 20 are used in Ukraine. However, he stated that a new version of the kamikaze drone would be included in future military aid packages. Most likely, this will happen by the end of this year.