AeroVironment Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) received a prototype agreement from the U.S. Army for its Low-Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance program to develop and test the Switchblade 400 loitering munition, the company announced.

The award establishes the Switchblade 400 as a component of the Army's LASSO program, which supports modernization priorities for precision strike capabilities in contested environments. The Switchblade 400 is a medium-range, man-portable, anti-armor loitering munition.

The system incorporates aided target recognition and autonomous capabilities to detect, classify and engage targets day or night. It features an all-up round weighing under 40 pounds and is designed to fit common launch tubes. The munition operates within AV_Halo, AeroVironment's command-and-control ecosystem.

"This award reflects the Army's confidence not only in Switchblade 400, but in AV's ability to deliver at scale," said Trace Stevenson, President of Autonomous Systems at AeroVironment.

The system uses a Modular Open Systems Approach in its design to ensure interoperability, upgradeability and affordability as missions evolve. AeroVironment describes the weapon as enabling a sensor-to-shooter concept that allows a single soldier to detect, identify and engage targets through a unified, networked architecture.

The LASSO award follows a $186 million delivery order from the U.S. Army for Switchblade 600 Block 2 and Switchblade 300 Block 20 systems, part of the Army's existing five-year, $990 million contract under the Lethal Unmanned Systems Directed Requirement awarded in August 2024.