IAI tests new ‘suicide drone’
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has tested its latest kamikaze Rotem L drone system which is designed to crash into and destroy soft enemy targets.
During experiments carried out last week in the South, the drone struck various targets simulating terrorist cells, explosive devices and unarmored enemy vehicles. According to a statement by the company, the test in southern Israel focused on the drone’s “end-to-end capabilities,” including a rapid, precision strike on a miniature target.
“The demonstration was held under tough field and weather conditions, highlighting the system’s ability to respond quickly and effectively to a low-signature enemy in a threatened space,” read the IAI statement.
The Rotem L drone system is tactical, loitering munition with a light multi-rotor platform which can operate in urban and complex environments.
Able to be assembled and deployed in under a minute by one single soldier is a lethal assault drone which along with the grenade it carries weighs in at 6.5 kg., allowing an infantry battalion soldier to able to carry at several such drones at once.
The battery-powered drone controlled by a tablet computer has a range of up to 10 km. and can hover for 30 to 45 minutes before diving down towards the target at a speed of up to 50 knots with a 1m. strike precision. The attack can also be aborted by the controller at any time and it can instructed to return to its starting point.
Troops can also easily swap its warhead consisting of two grenades for a surveillance payload.
With an easy-to-use operating system and vertical takeoff and landing capabilities it is suitable for intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance missions, as well as for tactical lethal missions against stationary and mobile targets.
Boaz Levy, IAI executive vice president and general manager said in a statement that the test “proved the complete capability range of the Rotem constitutes a quantum leap.”
“I believe that a drone that combines reconnaissance and surveillance, terrain dominance, and a combination of various sensors and assault capabilities adds significant value to fighting forces, with an emphasis on complex warfare situations that require fast, accurate and available response to battlefield threats. The Rotem, with its multiple capabilities, constitutes a unique platform for enhancing land warfare,” he added.
The Rotem is not the only suicide drone developed by the Israeli company.
Developed by IAI, the Harop is a small drone that, according to the company’s website, is a combination of the “capabilities of a UAV and a lethal missile.” Small enough to bypass enemy aircraft detection systems, the Harop searches, finds, identifies, and attacks and destroys targets-both vertically and horizontally.
Another tactical loitering munition, the Green Dragon is designed for use by small land force units and special operation troops, offering them significant situational awareness and firepower.
Easily operated and controlled by tablet-sized electronic control panel, the Green Dragon is equipped with a high-quality electro-optical guidance system which can operate in both the day and the night to collect visual intelligence of surrounding areas up to a range of 50 km.
Powered by a silent electrical motor with two hours of loitering time, it can be stored, transported and launched from a sealed canister, as many as 12 to 16 Green Dragon units can be carried on a small vehicle and launched upon request.