As seen in the recent conflicts in Syria, Libya, and now in the Caucasus, drone swarms can be a difficult scenario to defend against, even for the most capable air defense systems, including Russia’s Pantsir anti-aircraft system. An important component of drone swarms are loitering munitions designed to destroy the radars of air defense systems, given their difficulty in being detected by air defense system radars.
In the conflict in the Caucasus, loitering munitions (or kamikaze drones as they are also called) have attracted attention as a game-changer on the battlefield. Israeli-made “Harop” loitering munitions used by Azerbaijan proved critical in destroying Armenian armored vehicles, artillery and air defense systems. The accompanying passage describes how the Harop works, and how future versions of it may be used in future conflicts.
The passage is from a YouTube video by a Turkish defense expert, who describes these loitering munitions as an “air defense system hunter.” He explains that loitering munitions are used in conjunction with unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) and armed UASs, which drop them to follow a specific target, and when commanded, strikes at its target. He details how the “Harop” ammunition used in this conflict is actually a newer, more advanced version of the Israeli-made “Harpy” from the 1990s. Harpy has a 500 km range, flies quietly to follow radar signals, and has a basic, 35 horsepower engine. Because it flies at low altitude, and has a short wing, it can evade SAMs and radar detection systems designed to target larger aircraft. While it loiters, it obtains radar information and transfers this information to the command center, from which it gets orders to strike the radars of the air defense system it is hunting. Once an air defense system’s radar is destroyed, the entire air defense system becomes obsolete. The expert recalls that in 2007, Israel came up with the more advanced “Harop” (which was initially named the Harpy 2) that was seen in the Caucasus.
The expert claims that the Harop is an even more effective system, which can loiter for six hours and has a range of 1000 km, allowing it to lock in on the radar of the air defense system it is hunting and then, to shoot. It is said that the air defense systems have only three seconds before they can see that they are about to get struck, giving no time to prevent the impending attack. While these loitering munitions appear simple, they have a significant software and testing process to enable the capability of precision attacks. The expert further notes that future uses of this will likely entail larger concentration of these, perhaps used as squadrons, within drone squadron attacks, becoming a game-changer in a conflict.
(Also see: Mad Scientist Webinar, “The Future of Unmanned Aerial Systems Webinar: Messrs. Kallenborn, Bendett, & Goldstein,” YouTube, 17 September 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6G37DeNoi4k&t=2216s).
It is said that the air defense systems have only three seconds before they can see that they are about to get struck, giving no time to prevent the impending attack.
Source: “Hava Savunma Sistemi Avcısı: HARPY ve HAROP (HARPY and HAROP: Air Defense System Hunters),” TolgaOzbekcom/YouTube, 2 October 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOX1PRsYTjw&feature=youtu.be
…These loitering munitions are basically “air defense system hunters.” Loitering munitions are used in conjunction with UASs and armed UASs, which drop them to follow a certain target, and when commanded, strikes at its target. The “Harop” ammunition used in this conflict is actually a newer, more advanced version of the Israeli-made “Harpy” from the 1990s. Harpy has a 500 km range, flies quietly to follow radar signals, and has a basic, 35 horsepower engine. Because it flies at low altitude, and has a short wing, it is not detected by radars. While it loiters, it obtains radar information and transfers this information to the command center, from which it gets orders to strike the radars of the air defense system it is hunting. Once an air defense system’s radar is destroyed, the entire air defense system becomes obsolete. The expert discusses that in 2007, Israel came up with the more advanced “Harop” (which was initially named the Harpy 2) that was seen in the Caucasus.
Harop is an even more effective system, which can loiter for six hours and has a range of 1000 km, allowing it to lock in on the radar of the air defense system it is hunting and then, to shoot. It is said that the air defense systems have only three seconds before they can see that they are about to get struck, giving no time to prevent the impending attack. While these loitering munitions appear simple, they have a significant software and testing process to enable the capability of precision attacks. … Future uses of this will likely entail larger concentration of these, perhaps used as squadrons, within drone squadron attacks, becoming a game-changer in a conflict.
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