Israel's Flying, Robotic Lawnmower of Death
By Noah Shachtman
WIRED blogs
Our pal Bill Sweetman uncovers the latest version of Israel's "Harpy." It's a "loitering missile" (or, if you like, an armed drone), designed to circle the sky for hours, looking for enemy radar systems -- and then blowing them up, with high-explosive warheads.
"The radar-killer drone is launched from a canister," which can be put on a truck, Defense Update notes. "Each truck carries 18 weapon launchers. Each battery of Harpy is composed of three trucks, capable of deploying up to 54 drones for simultaneous, coordinated attack." No wonder everyone from the Indians to the Turks to South Koreans to the Chinese have bought the things from Israel.
The new model now comes equipped with an electro-optical camera, Sweetman reports. Which means the can now find radars, even when they're shut down.
One thing the Harpy is not, however, is stealthy. Unlike some of Israel's other robotic aircraft, the Harpy buzzes like a wheezy lawnmower on its last legs.
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