Brian Everstine
April 15, 2026
AeroVironment on April 15 announced a new product line of launched effects, targeting a growth area within the U.S. Army for air-, ground-, and maritime-launched systems that provide both strike and electronic warfare capabilities.The Mayhem line of systems, starting with the first Mayhem 10, is similar in design to the company’s Switchblade 400 loitering munition. The name of the new system is a reference to the 10-lb. payload it can carry. The system has a range of up to 100 km (62 mi.) and 50 min. of endurance.AeroVironment said the system has advanced autonomy to operate in contested environments, allowing it to be resilient to jamming and spoofing. It has M-Code GPS and a Silvus datalink, along with a secure mesh network connection for command-and-control with a 25-40 km link range.Brian Young, AeroVironment’s head of loitering munitions business, says the Mayhem 10 can fit the Javelin Multi-Purpose warhead for anti-armor strike, along with others for electronic warfare, communications relay, and a new explosively formed penetrator originally designed for the Switchblade 300. The company is looking at larger systems in the line for bigger payloads.Young says a target for Mayhem 10 is the U.S. Army’s Launched Effects-Short Range program, with larger systems potentially for Launched Effects-Medium Range and -Long Range. However, the product is not directly tied to these programs, and there are opportunities with the U.S. Marine Corps and internationally.AeroVironment is planning for low-rate initial production this calendar year, with a potential capacity of hundreds per month, he says.