Switchblade developers introduce new UAV with AI and target recognition

The American company AeroVironment, which produces the Switchblade 300 and Switchblade 600 attack drones known in Ukraine, has introduced the VAPOR Compact Long Endurance (CLE) UAV, Business Wire reports.

The drone is a fully electric helicopter and has the ability to take off and land vertically.

"We built the VAPOR CLE around what warfighters told us they needed most—more time over target, greater lift for mission-critical payloads, and a system rugged enough to survive the toughest environments," the company said.

The UAV is equipped with an NVIDIA ORIN on-board computer, which adds artificial intelligence capabilities to the system. Thanks to this, the drone provides automatic target recognition using AV Halo VISION machine vision. Takeoff and landing are also fully controlled by AI.

The drone can fly for up to two hours without changing the battery, and its modular design allows for the installation of 26 payload options, including optical sensors, electronic warfare systems, repeaters and various types of ammunition. The drone is capable of operating at a distance of up to 10 km.

Earlier it was reported that AeroVironment presented the Red Dragon kamikaze drone, which is capable of autonomously performing combat missions even without a GPS signal. It is noted that the Red Dragon has already been tested in combat conditions.