Buying guide

AeroVironment Switchblade (300/600) vs MQ-9 Reaper in 2026

Comparing 2 humanoid robots across availability, pricing, capabilities, and verified deployments. Current as of 2026.

Key differences

AeroVironment Switchblade (300/600) has the lower recorded price.
MQ-9 Reaper has more verified real-world deployments (4 vs 1).

Attribute	AeroVironment Switchblade (300/600)View full model page →	MQ-9 Reaper View full model page →
Manufacturer	AeroVironment	General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
Form factor	aerial	aerial
Maturity	production	production
Autonomy	—	—
Availability	internal-onlyenterprise	internal-onlyenterprise
Price	$50,000-$100,000 (analyst estimate)	$20,000,000-$32,000,000 (actual sale price)
Capability claims	—	—
Brain	—	—
Verified deployments	1AeroVironment	4
Privacy practices	—	—
Sources on file	5	12

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AeroVironment Switchblade (300/600)

MQ-9 Reaper

Editorial summaries

AeroVironment Switchblade (300/600)

AeroVironment's Switchblade is a family of tube-launched loitering munitions: the Switchblade 300 (anti-personnel) and Switchblade 600 (anti-armor). These are military weapon systems, not consumer products, so there is no consumer price. They are mass-produced and supplied to the US Army under a nearly $1B IDIQ and sent to Ukraine; the US Army program of record is LMAMS (Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System).

As a legacy-prime loitering-munition archetype, the Switchblade is operator-launched and operator-committed to target: it is not a fully autonomous weapon, and the autonomy framing for loitering munitions is cap-flagged honestly. Recorded at production maturity on named contracts and combat fielding.

MQ-9 Reaper

The MQ-9 Reaper, from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, is the canonical legacy-prime medium-altitude long-endurance drone and the AI-augmented-not-autonomous contrast to the new-defense AI-first triangle. The MQ-9A (first flight 2001, in service since May 2007) is a remotely-piloted aircraft flown by a crew of three (pilot, sensor operator, mission intelligence coordinator) from a ground control station, with about 30 hours of ISR or 23 hours of armed endurance, a 3,800-pound payload, and AGM-114 Hellfire and GBU-12/38 munitions; the MQ-9B SkyGuardian/SeaGuardian adds 40-plus hours and civil-airspace integration (the UK operates it as Protector RG Mk1).

It is fielded across the US DoD and allied air forces; the MQ-9A line closed production in 2025 while the MQ-9B is in production. Its AI is augmentation, not autonomy: sensor fusion, ISR processing, and targeting assistance run while a human crew flies the aircraft and makes mission decisions. It is defense procurement equipment; there is no consumer price.

Common questions

How do AeroVironment Switchblade (300/600) and MQ-9 Reaper differ?

On DEPLOY's record, MQ-9 Reaper has more verified real-world deployments (4 versus 1) than AeroVironment Switchblade (300/600) as of 2026; DEPLOY counts a deployment only when confirmed at a named site with a primary source. AeroVironment Switchblade (300/600) has the lower recorded price. MQ-9 Reaper has more verified real-world deployments (4 vs 1).

What is the difference between AeroVironment Switchblade (300/600) and MQ-9 Reaper?

AeroVironment Switchblade (300/600) and MQ-9 Reaper are both aerial robots on the DEPLOY registry. They differ in maker, maturity, price, verified deployments, and how much of their autonomy is independently verified. See the table above for the full head-to-head; each figure is sourced.

Which is cheaper, AeroVironment Switchblade (300/600) or MQ-9 Reaper?

AeroVironment Switchblade (300/600) has the lower recorded price on the DEPLOY registry than MQ-9 Reaper. Prices are sourced; see each record for whether the figure is a manufacturer target, an estimate, or an actual sale price.

Which has more verified deployments, AeroVironment Switchblade (300/600) or MQ-9 Reaper?

MQ-9 Reaper has more verified deployments (4) on the DEPLOY registry than AeroVironment Switchblade (300/600) (1). DEPLOY counts a deployment only when confirmed at a named site with a primary source.

Recent coverage

Wildfire Is General Atomics’ Successor To The MQ-9 ReaperMQ-9 Reaper · The War Zone · 2026-08-20
U.S. Air Force plans cheaper MQ-9 Reaper successor after Iran combat use, targeting 2031 fielding and massed drone operationsMQ-9 Reaper · Defence Industry Europe · 2026-08-17
Pentagon awards 500M contract for counter-drone tech to AeroVironmentAeroVironment Switchblade (300/600) · Ben Smith, Deploy Editor · 2026-07-02
Army Awards AeroVironment 500M Counter-Drone ContractAeroVironment Switchblade (300/600) · Ben Smith, Deploy Editor · 2026-07-02

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All dronesRegistry Every verified record in the category.AeroVironment Switchblade (300/600)Model The full model page.MQ-9 ReaperModel The full model page.AeroVironmentRecord The maker's verified record.General Atomics Aeronautical SystemsRecord The maker's verified record.AeroVironment Switchblade (300/600) vs Ghost (Ghost-X)Compare Another head-to-head.

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