At the moment, two significant conflicts are underway across the globe, with one taking place in and the other in the Middle East. The enduring nature of these conflicts has irrevocably established the significance of drones, encompassing various configurations, capacities, and sizes, in contemporary warfare.

The military refers to some of the most perilous technologies of this category as loitering munitions. These are weaponry capable of not only firing upon an adversary but also following that adversary until the operator of the drone is certain that the intended strike will succeed.

Presently, a variety of loitering munitions are in operation; nevertheless, their development is ongoing on a global scale. For example, AeroVironment possesses a product known as the Switchblade 300 Block 20 in its inventory.

The Block 20 is derived from a diminutive drone that debuted in the same year. The Switchblade 300, in its standard configuration, has a maximum range of 6.2 miles (10 km) and an altitude of approximately 15 minutes.

The drone; it is operated by a solitary combatant; its maximum speed is 63 mph (101 kph). This is for cruising purposes; in order to enhance the impact force, it can accelerate to a significantly higher speed of 100 mph (160 kph) when the moment comes to strike.

In addition to this, the Block 20 variant includes a novel tablet-based discharge control system. As a result of the object being propelled via a launch tube, the control system has been incorporated into the launcher tube.

The drone can be directed to аttаck by the soldiers using real-time video and cursor-on-target GPS, which function beyond line-of-sight. Compared to the default variant, the Switchblade can maintain altitude for an additional five minutes when configured as such. Furthermore, the manufacturer asserts that it incorporates “lessons learned from the cоnflict in Ukrаine, including operating in contested environments.”

There was no indication at the time of its introduction approximately one year ago as to when Block 20 would be utilized for military purposes. AeroVironment, nevertheless, affirmed its inclusion in the arsenal of the United States Marine Corps this week.

As part of the initial phase of the Organic Precision Fires-Light (OPF-L) program, the military division chose the drone to “provide the Marine Corps with organic, anti-armor/anti-personnel, precision fires capability at the tactical level.” The term “organic” in this context does not denote a connection to life, but rather denotes the drone’s seamless assimilation into established military operations and units.

AeroVironment has been awarded a $8.9 million contract by the Marine Corps to deploy the drones; however, everything proceeding as planned (and