WORLDTECHGeneral Dynamics details PERCH 2.0 kit arming Abrams and Stryker with Switchblade 300 drones
General Dynamics Land Systems has presented PERCH 2.0, an upgraded launcher kit that lets M1A2 Abrams tanks and Stryker armored vehicles carry and launch AeroVironment Switchblade 300 loitering munitions. The company says the kit allows vehicle crews to act on targets their own line of sight cannot reach.
What the upgraded launcher is meant to do
The system gives vehicle crews extended-range surveillance and the means to strike targets beyond their direct line of sight. General Dynamics says crews can spot threats and engage them from a greater distance without placing their vehicles within reach of direct fire.
Once launched, a Switchblade 300 can stay in the air while its operator looks for a target, and only then be guided toward it.
Changes in the newest release
The latest version was announced by General Dynamics on social media. It brings changes meant to tighten the system's fit with armored vehicles and to broaden its reconnaissance and strike functions. The material available does not spell out those changes further.
PERCH is short for Precision Effects & Reconnaissance, Canister-Housed, and was developed in partnership with AeroVironment.
Open questions
- Which specific integration changes does PERCH 2.0 introduce over the earlier version?
- Has the system been fielded or tested with the US Army?