"Known as the ‘Lightweight Tank Destroyer,’ and sized to fit common launch tubes, Switchblade 400 enables a sensor-to-shooter concept of operations that allows a single soldier to detect, identify, and engage targets through a unified, networked architecture — shortening decision timelines while increasing precision, speed, and operational flexibility at the tactical edge," Aerovironment said in its announcement.
Aerovironment’s Switchblade 400 wins a LASSO prototyping contract
Aerovironment (AV) announced that it was awarded a prototyping contract for the Army’s Low-Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program and will provide its Switchblade 400 loitering munition. AV described Switchblade 400 as a portable, anti-armor loitering munition with medium range that is "sized to fit common launch tubes" and supports a sensor-to-shooter approach that a single soldier can use to detect, identify and engage targets.
AV framed the Switchblade family’s operational record as a driver of trust: Jimmy Jenkins, executive vice president of Precision Strike and Defense Systems at AV, said, “The Army’s trust in the Switchblade family has been earned through years of real-world use by soldiers who rely on these systems every day.” Jenkins added that this trust “reflects a clear operational need for precision, speed, and adaptability at the tactical edge — capabilities the Switchblade family is designed to deliver as missions and threats continue to change.” AV’s release did not disclose the dollar amount of the prototyping contract.
Uvision and Mistral’s Hero 90: backpack-portable, multi-warhead option
Uvision, together with U.S. partner Mistral, was selected earlier in January to move forward in the LASSO prototyping competition with its Hero 90 loitering munition. According to the companies’ release, the Hero 90 “features multiple warhead configurations including anti-armor and high explosive,” is “backpack-portable,” and uses AI-assisted tracking and electro-optical/infra-red sensors to “ensure precision in complex environments.” The Uvision/Mistral announcement likewise did not disclose contract dollar amounts.
Textron’s Damocles: VTOL integration and an EFP warhead
Textron was awarded a prototyping contract in February for its Damocles system. Textron’s release notes that Damocles is incorporated into a vertical take-off and landing drone so “no launch or recovery equipment is needed.” The company also said Damocles is “equipped with Textron Systems’ advanced GEN2 Explosively Formed Penetrator (EFP), [which] is a cutting-edge system designed to deliver decisive lethality in peer warfare environments.” As with the other vendors, Textron did not disclose dollar figures for its prototyping award.
Army LASSO program requirements, planned buys, and modularity
The Army’s justification books for fiscal 2027 describe LASSO as intended to equip Mobile Brigade Combat Teams with a “man-portable weapon” that provides “point, long range and direct fire effects” capable of destroying tanks, light armored vehicles and other targets while “producing minimal collateral damage” across varied terrain. The same budget documents show the service is looking to spend $109.5 million to acquire 95 LASSO systems in FY27; for FY26 the Army budgeted $67.8 million to procure 103 LASSO systems.
All three vendor releases emphasized modular, open-architecture system designs that allow for the addition of other payloads, “both kinetic and non-kinetic,” according to the reporting. That shared architecture is a stated feature across the competing prototypes and a common thread in the Army’s prototyping competition.
What this means for Mobile Brigade Combat Teams, procurement leaders, and soldiers
- Mobile Brigade Combat Teams: The Army’s stated intent is to field a “man-portable” capability with point, long-range and direct-fire effects against armored threats while minimizing collateral damage — a requirement the three prototypes are designed to address.
- Procurement leaders and budget planners: The service’s fiscal documents lay out specific quantities and funding lines — $109.5 million for 95 systems in FY27 and $67.8 million for 103 systems in FY26 — giving procurement decisions a concrete near-term target tied to the prototyping outcomes.
- Soldiers at the tactical edge: The vendor descriptions emphasize portability, networked sensor-to-shooter workflows and single-operator employability; those capabilities are presented as reducing decision timelines and increasing precision and flexibility in the field.
The prototyping competition now formally includes the Switchblade 400, Hero 90 and Damocles. Each vendor markets a different mix of portability, sensor suites, warhead options and launch concepts; each release withheld contract dollar figures. Which designs will be chosen to inform the Army’s planned FY27 purchases of LASSO systems remains to be determined as the service evaluates prototypes against its stated requirement for a man-portable, precision anti-armor capability.
