At IDEX 2025, AeroVironment, the company that makes the US Army’s Switchblade drones, debuted its Jump 20-X unmanned aerial system (UAS). The Jump 20-X is an autonomous, AI-powered aircraft designed for maritime operations with cross-domain dominance. It is a “marinized” version of the company’s existing Jump-20 vertical takeoff and landing fixed-wing uncrewed platform. Through its modular and open systems architecture, the UAS offers Standardization Agreement-compliant communications for interoperability with NATO forces as well as support for third-party payloads and radios.
