// UNMANNED SYSTEMS AND NEXT-GEN WARFARE TERM
Kamikaze Drone
A kamikaze drone is a single-use unmanned aircraft packed with explosives that is designed to fly into a target and detonate on impact. It combines the surveillance capabilities of a drone with the destructive power of a missile.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
A kamikaze drone, technically a loitering munition or one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), is an expendable weapon system with an integrated explosive warhead for precision strikes against high-value targets. This autonomous or human-in-the-loop system can circle (loiter) over a target area, providing surveillance and reconnaissance before committing to a terminal attack on assets like armor, artillery, or infrastructure.
BACKGROUND
A loitering munition (LM) is a type of self-destructive unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with a warhead that is typically designed to remotely loiter by a human operator using electro-optical targeting sensors or camera suite and data-link until a target is designated, then crash into it and detonate. Anti-radiation (anti-radar) loitering munitions are a type of loitering munition that employ either an anti-radiation seeker by itself or in tandem with an electro-optical targeting system to locate enemy radar by loitering and destroy it after detection. Common terms like suicide drone, kamikaze drone, or exploding drone are used for both loitering munition and one-way attack drones. They enable attacks against hidden targets that emerge for short periods without placing high-value platforms near the target area. Unlike many other types of munitions, their attacks can be changed mid-mission or aborted. Loitering munitions are typically aerial platforms, but include some autonomous undersea vehicles with similar characteristics.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- loitering munition
- suicide drone
- one-way attack drone
- exploding drone
- lethal drone
- FPV attack drone
USAGE NOTE
The term is widely used in modern warfare contexts to describe a low-cost, effective tactical weapon that blurs the line between a reusable drone and a single-use missile.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Kamikaze Drone.
A U.S. defense contractor that develops and manufactures unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), most notably the Switchblade series of loitering munitions (kamikaze drones) used extensively by the U.S. military and allied nations.
An Israeli company specializing in the design, development, and manufacturing of advanced loitering munition systems. Their HERO series of systems are man-portable, vehicle-mounted, or air-launched kamikaze drones.
A major Israeli state-owned aerospace and defense company. IAI develops and produces several loitering munition systems, including the Harpy, Harop, and Mini Harpy, designed for missions such as suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD).
A Russian company, part of the Kalashnikov Concern, that specializes in unmanned aerial systems. They are the developers of the Lancet and KUB-BLA loitering munitions, which have been actively used in conflict.
An American defense technology company that develops autonomous systems. Their product line includes the Altius-600M, an air-launched loitering munition designed for precision strikes.
A Polish technology company and defense contractor. They produce the WARMATE loitering munition system, a lightweight, combat-proven drone that can be equipped with various warheads for different targets.
A Turkish defense company that develops a range of military technologies. They are the manufacturer of the Kargu, a rotary-wing (quadcopter) kamikaze drone that can operate autonomously or in swarms.
A defense and technology conglomerate in the United Arab Emirates. Through its subsidiary Halcon, EDGE develops and produces a family of loitering munitions, including the Hunter series of tube-launched drones.