Source: IE
Context: India reportedly used Israeli HAROP drones — a form of loitering munition — to destroy a Pakistani air defence system in Lahore on May 8, 2025, as part of its retaliatory strike under Operation Sindoor.
About HAROP – India’s Kamikaze Drone:
- HAROP is an advanced loitering munition (or suicide/kamikaze drone) developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
- Combines the functions of both a missile and a UAV — it loiters over an area, selects a target, and crashes into it with an explosive payload.
- It is designed to destroy high-value targets like radars, command posts, tanks, SAMs, and even moving assets.
- Unlike conventional precision-guided missiles that require exact target coordinates, HAROPs can search, track, and engage dynamically.
- Key Technical Features:
- Electro-optical (EO) sensor allows real-time visual identification and target acquisition.
- Endurance of up to 9 hours, enabling wide-area scanning and deep-target strikes.
- Can be launched from truck-mounted canisters, naval vessels, or fixed ground platforms.
- Capable of operating in GNSS-denied environments (immune to GPS jamming).
- It has autonomous and manual attack capabilities with a fire-and-forget profile.
