MAYHEM 10
AeroVironment · United States · also known as Mayhem 10, AV Mayhem 10 · Updated
MAYHEM 10 is an autonomous, multi-role launched-effects aircraft developed by AeroVironment of the United States, unveiled on 15 April 2026 at the Army Aviation Association of America's Army Aviation Warfighting Summit in Nashville, Tennessee. It is the first system in a new AeroVironment product line distinct from the company's long-running Switchblade loitering munitions, though AeroVironment describes it as built on Switchblade's heritage and as a "sister system" to the Switchblade 400.
Overview
MAYHEM 10 is designed around a 10 lb (4.5 kg) interchangeable payload section, letting one airframe be reconfigured for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic warfare, communications relay, deception and decoy missions, or precision strike, rather than being built for a single role as Switchblade is. AeroVironment says more than eight different payloads have already been integrated on the airframe. The system is pitched chiefly at the US Army's Launched Effects-Short Range (LE-SR) requirement, one tier of an Army programme that also covers medium- and long-range launched effects, and the company says it expects interest from the Marine Corps as well.
As of the April 2026 unveiling, AeroVironment had no funded Army contract or programme-of-record designation for MAYHEM 10. The company said it had run more than 50 internally funded flight tests, including live-ordnance, electronic-warfare and communications-relay trials, and that it expected to reach Technology Readiness Level 8 and begin low-rate initial production later in 2026, building first at its Simi Valley, California site before a planned Salt Lake City, Utah facility scales output toward an eventual 1,000–2,000 units a year.
Design and capabilities
MAYHEM 10 launches from a Common Launch Tube, by air or ground, using a rocket-assisted takeoff rather than the gas-generator launch used on Switchblade; AeroVironment says assembly and launch take under five minutes. Launch platforms demonstrated or planned include dismounted troops, ground vehicles, tube mounts on the stub wings of an H-60 Black Hawk helicopter, and maritime platforms. The aircraft carries a 10 lb (4.5 kg) payload, has an operational range of about 100 km, and can fly for up to 50 minutes. Navigation and communications run over M-Code GPS and a Silvus datalink, forming a MANET-based mesh network with a command-and-control range of roughly 25–40 km, and an AI-driven onboard processor is intended to keep the aircraft resilient against jamming, spoofing and GPS denial.
The open, modular architecture — developed with Parry Labs — allows a swapped payload bay rather than a new airframe for each mission. One disclosed option fits the Javelin Multi-Purpose Warhead used on the Switchblade 600, giving MAYHEM 10 an anti-armour strike role; AeroVironment is also developing "collaborative attack" swarming behaviour with autonomy partner Applied Intuition, which the company said had been tested only in the lab as of the April 2026 launch.
Operational history
MAYHEM 10 has no operational deployments or confirmed customers as of its unveiling in April 2026. AeroVironment said it had not yet received a funded order and was entering the Army's LE-SR competition and other launched-effects efforts, with low-rate initial production planned for later in 2026 at an initial rate of about 10 units a month, rising toward a full-rate goal of about 100 units a month that AeroVironment executives said could still be years away.
Frequently asked questions
What is the range of MAYHEM 10?
AeroVironment and Breaking Defense give an operational range of about 100 km (roughly 62 miles).
How long can MAYHEM 10 fly?
Up to 50 minutes, according to AeroVironment, TWZ and Breaking Defense.
Is MAYHEM 10 a Switchblade variant?
No. AeroVironment describes it as a separate, multi-role launched-effects product line "built on the heritage of" the Switchblade family and as a sister system to the Switchblade 400, but an AeroVironment executive told TWZ "it's not a Switchblade."
What payload does MAYHEM 10 carry?
A 10 lb (4.5 kg) interchangeable payload bay, which AeroVironment says has already been fitted with more than eight different payloads covering ISR, electronic warfare, communications relay, deception/decoy and precision-strike roles, including a Javelin Multi-Purpose Warhead option for anti-armour strikes.
Who operates MAYHEM 10?
No operator yet. As of its April 2026 unveiling, AeroVironment had no funded contract for the system and was pitching it to the US Army's Launched Effects-Short Range programme and the Marine Corps.
