Close air support takes time to arrive, is costly to operate, and risks collateral damage in urban areas.

Troop-carried guided missiles, such as the FGM-148 Javelin, are also significantly larger, heavier, and more expensive, and only a few, if any, are carried on a typical patrol.

Human-portable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like the Raven or Puma can spot threats but lack weapons.

On July 29, 2011, the U.S. Army awarded AeroVironment a $4.9 million contract for "rapid fielding" of an unspecified number of Switchblades to forces in Afghanistan.

[11] In May 2012, the United States Marine Corps began ordering Switchblades to allow troops to strike improvised explosive device (IED) emplacement teams and similar targets.

The Switchblade is small enough to fit in a Marine's ALICE or MOLLE pack and locks onto and tracks a target once selected.

Unlike most other weapons, the Switchblade can wave off or abort a mission if the situation changes after launch, allowing it to engage a secondary target or destroy itself without inflicting casualties or property damage.

[7] On August 28, 2013, AeroVironment announced it had been awarded five contracts totaling $15.8 million to supply more Switchblade systems, ancillary equipment, and support to the Army.

The test showed that the Switchblade could be air-launched from the aircraft and add a remotely controlled, weaponized surveillance tool to the Osprey.

[19] On April 28, 2016, AeroVironment announced they had developed an upgrade for the Switchblade Tactical Missile System, designated Block 10C.

In October 2016, AeroVironment announced the Multi-Pack Launcher (MPL), a system to carry and remotely launch several Switchblades.

[25][26] In March 2022, it was reported that the US was considering providing Switchblade drones to the Ukrainian armed forces following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

[27] On March 16, the White House announced that "100 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems" would be provided to Ukraine as part of an $800 million military aid package.

In Ukraine, the anti-personnel Switchblade 300 performs poorly against Russian tanks and artillery, and the cost was significantly more expensive than commercial competition.

[42] The U.S. Army ordered more than 100 Switchblade 600s in October 2023 as part of the first increment of the Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program; they will be operated at company-level.

[43] On June 11, 2024, a Switchblade, believed to be a 600 or improved model, struck a Russian Buk missile launcher in Sarabash (formerly Komunarivka), Donetsk.

The Switchblade uses the same Ground Control Station (GCS) as other AeroVironment UAVs, including the Wasp, RQ-11 Raven, and RQ-20 Puma.

This creates a commonality and the potential for teaming of longer-endurance small UAVs to recon for targets, then having the Switchblade attack once they are identified with the same controller.

It meets the need for squads and platoons that lack high-level intelligence and communications to fire missiles beyond the ranges they are trying to influence.

[7] Block 10C incorporates a Digital Data Link (DDL) to provide a stable and secure encrypted communication link through more efficient use of existing frequency bands and significantly reduced likelihood of signal interception, as well as concurrent operation of multiple Switchblade systems in the same vicinity without signal conflict, gives opportunity to extend operational ranges using another DDL arbiter such as a different AeroVironment UAV, and facilitates sensor to shooter operations through automatic communication of mission plans from one AeroVironment UAS to a Switchblade.

It has an EO/IR panning camera suite to provide real-time video and left-hand commit with continuous identification (PID).

It is designed to fly out to 40 km (25 mi) in 20 minutes, then loiter for another 20 minutes (giving it an 80 km (50 mi) total range), however, reaching its maximum capable range requires using two long-range antennas deployed on the field to relay command from one operator to another through the handoff capability of the data link.

It is secured through onboard encrypted data links and Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module GPS with a patented wave-off capability.

[21][23][24] In October 2022, AeroVironment said it was capable of producing more than 2,000 Switchblade 600 systems annually, and that it planned within a few months to increase production capacity to 6,000 per year.

It was developed for the United States Navy to provide rapid ISR (Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) as well as command and control relay operations among surface and undersea manned and unmanned vessels.