American company AeroVironment, known for its Switchblade-type loitering munitions, on Wednesday, April 15 announced the debut of its new development called MAYHEM 10, positioned as a pioneering multi-mission effects launch system this is an autonomous multipurpose drone created for use from ground, maritime, or air platforms.
The developer primarily emphasizes that their new MAYHEM 10 drone provides significant versatility thanks to modular payload. We're talking about the ability to execute both non-lethal missions, reconnaissance, surveillance, electronic warfare, working as a communications relay; as well as lethal, delivering precision strikes on the enemy.
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This contains the main conceptual error of this development from AeroVironment, namely making a multipurpose and, it seems, by no means cheap platform, and embedding strike function into it as well. This isn't the first time U.S. developers have stepped on the same rake and tried to make everything in one instead of two separate platforms.
For example, back in 2024 we reported on a new development from American company Anduril, Bolt FPV drones with machine vision, which has the same flaw as AeroVironment's new development, combining in one platform a reusable drone with payload change option and strike drone / loitering munition, whose task on the battlefield is to fly to the target and accurately hit it.
AeroVironment President and CEO Wahid Nawabi emphasizes that their new development, MAYHEM 10 drone, sets a new standard for operational versatility and survivability on the modern battlefield. Company Senior Vice President of Loitering Munitions Brian Young noted that thanks to their new drone, military will be able to conduct large-scale drone swarm operations.
This is indeed correct and pragmatic when instead of a different drone types, military will be able to use one or several with payload change option, especially in the swarm application concept.
However, again, a situation arises where the swarm will include both drones with non-lethal payload, whose task is to execute the assigned mission and return back, as well as strike and essentially disposable drones. However, in MAYHEM 10's case, it turns out that an expensive drone will be expended for conducting strikes, instead of which there could be twice, three times, five times and so on more significantly cheaper drones.
At the same time, MAYHEM 10 drone's airborne time is only 50 minutes. Here its multipurpose non-lethal part already suffers, because today for reconnaissance drones acceptable airborne duration is from two or more hours.
Everything again runs into the problem of separating drone's lethal and non-lethal function. Because 50 minutes is quite sufficient for executing a strike mission, to fly to the target and hit it, but insufficient to conduct any other considering the need to also return back to base.
Regarding other tactical-technical characteristics, MAYHEM 10 has payload capacity of 4.5 kg and flight range up to 100 km. The drone can be prepared for launch in less than five minutes.
Defense Express previously reported that shooting down Shahedsfor $5 per shot is proposed by AeroVironment, which presented the third Locust modification.
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