Switchblade UAV completes demo

AeroVironment Inc. has completed a thorough demonstration of its small Switchblade unmanned aerial vehicle, reports Aviation Week’s Ares Blog.

The battery-powered Switchblade is a UAV that can be carried in a backpack and launched from a tube. The 2 lb. Switchblade not only can send back streaming video from an electro-optical sensor, but also transforms itself into a weapon that can explode on a designated target.

Although the Monrovia, Calif., company does not have any orders yet for the Switchblade, two new customers have funded demonstrations of different applications of the UAV, company officials said in a March 9 third-quarter analysts’ call. The demonstration was funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory.