Lithuania receives first Switchblade 600s after 2024 delivery pledge
The Lithuanian Armed Forces have received their first AeroVironment Switchblade 600 loitering munitions, more than two years after the US manufacturer said deliveries were expected to begin.
The first batch has reached Lithuanian military warehouses, the Ministry of National Defence announced on October 7, 2026.
“With the Switchblade 600 drones, the Lithuanian Armed Forces gain a new strike capability. They allow soldiers to destroy enemy armored vehicles quickly and with great precision from a safe distance,” Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said.
Lithuania became the first country after the United States to order the Switchblade 600 when it signed a roughly €45 million procurement agreement with the US government in late 2022.
New long-range anti-armor capability
US soldiers launch a Switchblade 600 loitering munition during training at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany on November 4, 2024. The exercise marked the first launch of the Switchblade 600 by US soldiers in Europe. (Credit: U.S. Army photo)The Switchblade 600 is a tube-launched loitering munition designed to engage armored and other hardened targets beyond the range of conventional anti-tank weapons.
According to AeroVironment, the system has an endurance of more than 40 minutes and a baseline range of more than 40 kilometers (25 miles). Using a forward data link relay can extend its range beyond 90 kilometers (56 miles).
The munition carries an anti-armor warhead and uses electro-optical and infrared sensors to identify and track stationary or moving targets. Its ability to attack armored vehicles from above allows it to target areas where their protection is generally thinner.
The Lithuanian acquisition also includes launch and control equipment, a simulator for personnel training and a maintenance package.
When the purchase was announced in December 2022, then-Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas described the Switchblade 600 as a capability the Lithuanian Armed Forces had not previously possessed, allowing troops to engage tanks and other armored vehicles at distances of up to 40 kilometers.
First deliveries had been expected in 2024
The Switchblade 600s arrived substantially later than initially expected.
During a December 2023 visit to AeroVironment’s factory in California, company CEO Wahid Nawabi told Anušauskas that the systems would be delivered in 2024.
The first batch instead reached Lithuania in October 2026. Lithuania has not publicly disclosed the total number of Switchblade 600 munitions covered by the approximately €45 million acquisition.
The procurement also envisaged the delivery of the smaller Switchblade 300, financed through US military assistance.
Lithuania expands US weapons purchases
The Switchblade delivery forms part of a broader Lithuanian push to acquire US-made weapons as the country rapidly expands its armed forces.
According to the Ministry of National Defence, Lithuania has purchased approximately €2 billion worth of US weapons and military equipment over the past three years, making it the largest buyer of US arms among the three Baltic states.
Its US procurements include Javelin anti-tank missiles, Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs), HIMARS rocket artillery systems, and AMRAAM missiles for NASAMS air defense systems.
Lithuania also began receiving its first Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters in October 2025. The post Lithuania receives first Switchblade 600s after 2024 delivery pledge appeared first on AeroTime.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces have received their first AeroVironment Switchblade 600 loitering munitions, more than two years after…
The post Lithuania receives first Switchblade 600s after 2024 delivery pledge appeared first on AeroTime.
