Conceived by the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), developed by the U.S. Army,[1] the Switchblade was meant to help U.S. troops respond to enemy ambushes in Afghanistan. Close air support takes time to arrive, is expensive to conduct, and risks collateral damage in urban areas. Troop-carried guided missiles such as the FGM-148 Javelin are also expensive, and few if any are carried on a typical patrol.