Indian Army Set To Purchase Kamikaze Drones In Order To Improve Aerial Targeting Defence System

The Indian Army is going to buy Kamikaze drones as a big step to improve its drone game. Through the Made-in-India route, at least 10 sets of aerial targeting systems and 120 loitering munition will be bought. Notably, Kamikaze drones were used in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

According to the Request for Proposal (RFP), the aerial targeting systems should have a minimum range of 100 km with a launch altitude of 4,000 metres or more. It was specified that the warhead weight should be a minimum of 8 kg or more with an endurance of up to two hours.

The Indian Air Force has been using the much bigger Harop loitering munition for more than a decade. Meanwhile, the army is moving toward buying Kamikaze drones. These drones can hang around for hours before going after their intended target and destroying it.

The change happened because drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are becoming the preferred weapon of the Indian military more and more over the past few months.

What are Kamikaze drones?

A Kamikaze drone is an airborne weapon system in which the bomb waits for the target to be found and then attacks it. These weapons make it easier to choose where to shoot. Their name comes from the feared Japanese kamikaze pilots of World War II, who killed themselves by crashing their bomb-packed planes into enemy targets.

During Russia’s invasion of its neighbour to the south in October, Ukraine’s military said it saw Kamikaze drones in its war-torn country. After Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Ukraine of a nuclear attack, the claim was made.

What are loitering munitions?

Loitering munition is a type of weapon system that is unmanned and has an explosive warhead to hit ground targets that are out of sight. They are a mix of a drone and a surface-to-surface missile.

Loiter munitions are different from missiles in that they can be launched like a drone. They can also stay in the air longer, so they can look over a certain area and look for targets. As soon as a target is found and locked on, they act like a missile and destroy it. Unlike combat or armed drones, Loiter munitions are smaller, cheaper, and have less complicated systems.