KAMIKAZE DRONES

17th October, 2022 Security

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Context: Three kamikaze drones struck the small town of Makariv, situated west of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

Details:

What are Kamikaze drones?

These are small unmanned aircraft packed with explosives that can be flown directly at a tank or a group of troops that are destroyed when it hits the target and explodes.
The name comes from the World War 2 era’s feared Japanese kamikaze pilots, who conducted suicide attacks by intentionally crashing their explosive-filled aircraft into enemy targets.
The modern drone versions have the capability of surpassing traditional defences to strike their targets and are also cheaper than their larger counterparts.
The small lethal drones are difficult to detect on radar, and through the use of facial recognition, can be programmed to hit targets without human intervention.

Which countries have such drones?

Some countries have admitted to using such armed drones, while others have been accused of utilising them to carry out covert attacks. According to the US military, Iranian-backed militias have used small drones in 10 attacks on US bases in Iraq this year.
Azerbaijan had used small Turkish-made drones against the Armenian military in the last few years, shifting the prolonged stalemate over a disputed enclave decisively in Azerbaijan’s favour.
There have been also multiple occasions where Russia has used such suicide drones to launch attacks in Ukraine following their invasion. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels also used them to blow up Saudi oil facilities in 2019.
Although the US Kamikaze might be the most advanced in this class of drones, Russia, China, Israel, Iran and Turkey all have some versions of it.
The US kamikaze drones are cheaper than most other drones made in the country, and come in two sizes.
- Switchblade 300 suicide drone: It weighs about five pounds (2.26 kilograms), can fly for up to 15 minutes at a time, and is designed to be carried in a backpack.
- Switchblade 600:It weighs about 50 pounds, can fly for up to 40 minutes, and is known as a “loitering missile” that can hover around an area for some time and target armoured vehicles.