
General Atomics and AeroVironment [AVAV] on Wednesday said they recently partnered to launch a Switchblade 600 loitering munition from an MQ-9A long endurance drone, the first ever launch of the Switchblade 600 from an unmanned aircraft. In the flight-testing that occurred in July, the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper was equipped with two Switchblade launch tubes, one that first fired a loitering munition with an inert warhead and then the second with a high-explosive round. After firing, control of the Switchblade…