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Loitering munition

Updated: Wikipedia source

Loitering munition

A loitering munition, also known as a suicide drone, kamikaze drone, or exploding drone, is a weapon with a warhead that is typically designed to loiter until a target is designated, then crash into it. 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. Loitering weapons emerged in the 1980s for the suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) role, and were deployed for SEAD by some military forces in the 1990s. In the 2000s, they were developed for additional roles, from long-range strikes and fire support to short-range tactical systems that fit in a backpack.

Tables

· Comparison to similar weapons
Cost appropriate for expendable one-time use[according to whom?]
Cost appropriate for expendable one-time use[according to whom?]
Characteristic
Cost appropriate for expendable one-time use[according to whom?]
Cruise missile
Yes
Loitering munition
Yes
UCAV
No, but high cost allows for higher-quality platform
Recovery possible after launch
Recovery possible after launch
Characteristic
Recovery possible after launch
Cruise missile
No
Loitering munition
Sometimes
UCAV
Yes, typical mission profile is round-trip
Built-in warhead
Built-in warhead
Characteristic
Built-in warhead
Cruise missile
Yes
Loitering munition
Yes
UCAV
No
Stealthy final dive to target
Stealthy final dive to target
Characteristic
Stealthy final dive to target
Cruise missile
Usually yes
Loitering munition
Usually yes
UCAV
Usually no
Loitering
Loitering
Characteristic
Loitering
Cruise missile
No or limited
Loitering munition
Yes
UCAV
Usually yes
Sensors for target acquisition
Sensors for target acquisition
Characteristic
Sensors for target acquisition
Cruise missile
Limited
Loitering munition
Yes
UCAV
Usually yes
Command and control during flight
Command and control during flight
Characteristic
Command and control during flight
Cruise missile
Usually limited
Loitering munition
Yes
UCAV
Yes
Range
Range
Characteristic
Range
Cruise missile
~1500 km
Loitering munition
Varies, from 10–1000 km
UCAV
~1000 km
Speed
Speed
Characteristic
Speed
Cruise missile
Typically higher[vague]
Loitering munition
Typically lower[vague]
UCAV
Depends on role
Examples
Examples
Characteristic
Examples
Example type
Example type
Characteristic
Example type
Cruise missile
Block IV Tomahawk cruise missile. Its small wing area is optimized for high-speed cruise.
Loitering munition
Static display of an IAI Harop loitering munition optimized for the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) role
UCAV
General Atomics MQ-1 Predator UCAV
Range
Range
Characteristic
Range
Cruise missile
1,600 km
Loitering munition
1,000 km
UCAV
1,100 km
Max speed
Max speed
Characteristic
Max speed
Cruise missile
high sub-sonic, 880 km/h
Loitering munition
190 km/h
UCAV
217 km/h
Flight endurance
Flight endurance
Characteristic
Flight endurance
Cruise missile
c. 2 hours
Loitering munition
6 hours
UCAV
24 hours
Engine
Engine
Characteristic
Engine
Cruise missile
3.1 kilonewtons (700 lbf) F107-WR-402 turbofan engine
Loitering munition
37 hp (28 kW) Wankel engine
UCAV
115 hp (86 kW) Rotax 914F
Loaded system weight
Loaded system weight
Characteristic
Loaded system weight
Cruise missile
1,588 kg
Loitering munition
135 kg
UCAV
1,020 kg
Payload
Payload
Characteristic
Payload
Cruise missile
450 kg warhead
Loitering munition
23 kg warhead
UCAV
up to 204 kg(2 × AGM-114 Hellfire or 6 × AGM-176 Griffin air-to-surface missiles)
Length
Length
Characteristic
Length
Cruise missile
6.25 m
Loitering munition
2.5 m
UCAV
8.22 m
Wingspan
Wingspan
Characteristic
Wingspan
Cruise missile
2.67 m
Loitering munition
3 m
UCAV
16.8 m
Characteristic
Cruise missile
Loitering munition
UCAV
Cost appropriate for expendable one-time use[according to whom?]
Yes
Yes
No, but high cost allows for higher-quality platform
Recovery possible after launch
No
Sometimes
Yes, typical mission profile is round-trip
Built-in warhead
Yes
Yes
No
Stealthy final dive to target
Usually yes
Usually yes
Usually no
Loitering
No or limited
Yes
Usually yes
Sensors for target acquisition
Limited
Yes
Usually yes
Command and control during flight
Usually limited
Yes
Yes
Range
~1500 km
Varies, from 10–1000 km
~1000 km
Speed
Typically higher[vague]
Typically lower[vague]
Depends on role
Examples
Example type
Block IV Tomahawk cruise missile. Its small wing area is optimized for high-speed cruise.
Static display of an IAI Harop loitering munition optimized for the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) role
General Atomics MQ-1 Predator UCAV
Range
1,600 km
1,000 km
1,100 km
Max speed
high sub-sonic, 880 km/h
190 km/h
217 km/h
Flight endurance
c. 2 hours
6 hours
24 hours
Engine
kilonewtons (700 lbf) F107-WR-402 turbofan engine
37 hp (28 kW) Wankel engine
115 hp (86 kW) Rotax 914F
Loaded system weight
1,588 kg
135 kg
1,020 kg
Payload
450 kg warhead
23 kg warhead
up to 204 kg(2 × AGM-114 Hellfire or 6 × AGM-176 Griffin air-to-surface missiles)
Length
6.25 m
2.5 m
8.22 m
Wingspan
2.67 m
3 m
16.8 m

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