Loitering Munitions

Latest in Loitering Munitions

Two Ukrainian firms, both partnered with American companies, are among those now set to demonstrate long-range one-way drones to the U.S. military as part of a project called Artemis.
Air

Ukrainian Long-Range Attack Drones To Be Tested By U.S. Military

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated 24 Minutes Ago

Ukraine has claimed that it’s successfully used uncrewed surface vessels (USV), better known as drone boats, to launch aerial drones against Russian targets for the first time. According to Ukrainian authorities, the first-person view (FPV) drones were employed in combat during strikes on Russian ground-based air defense systems. This is the latest development in Ukraine’s Black Sea drone war, which is seeing increasingly innovative use of uncrewed systems, including adapted air-to-air missiles launched from USVs against Russian aircraft.
News & Features

Ukraine Claims Its Drone Boats Are Now Launching Kamikaze FPV Drones At Russian Shore Targets

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jan 7, 2025

German firm Helsing says production of its HX-2 kamikaze drone, thousands of which are expected to be sent to Ukraine, is underway.
Air

AI-Enabled HX-2 Kamikaze Drones Now In Production For Ukraine

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Dec 2, 2024

One especially interesting detail about the Phoenix Ghost family of kamikaze drones has now emerged: the different types can be configured to launch attacks straight down while passing overhead rather than having to careen into their targets and detonate.
Air

Warheads In Phoenix Ghost Kamikaze Drones Blast Straight Down Like Air Burst Artillery Rounds

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Nov 27, 2024

Ukraine's domestically developed Dovbush T10 drone has taken on a new role acting as a mothership for first-person view (FPV) kamikaze quadcopters.
Air

Watch A Ukrainian Uncrewed Aerial Mothership Launch Kamikaze Drones

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Nov 21, 2024

North Koran drones
Air

North Korea’s Kim Orders Mass Production Of Kamikaze Drones

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Nov 15, 2024

The secretive Phoenix Ghost kamikaze drone developed by the U.S. Air Force to support Ukraine in its ongoing fight against Russia, has finally emerged from the shadows.
Air

Secretive Phoenix Ghost Kamikaze Drones Rushed To Ukraine Finally Come Out Of The Shadows

By Thomas Newdick, Rachel S. Cohen, Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Oct 17, 2024

Bolt-M drone
Air

Bolt-M Aims To Make Kamikaze Drone Attacks More User Friendly, Effective

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Oct 10, 2024

Iranian-made Shahed-136 'Kamikaze' drone flies over the sky of Kermanshah, Iran on March 7, 2024. Iran fired over 100 drones and ballistic missiles on Saturday, April 13, 2024, in retaliation to an attack on a building attached to the country's consular annex in Damascus that killed the guards, and two generals of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on April 01, 2024. Iran has blamed Israel for the attack on April 5, 2024 in Tehran.
Air

Russian Shahed Kamikaze Drone Crashes In Latvia

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Sep 9, 2024

The U.S. Army has awarded a massive contract valued at close to $1 billion to AeroVironment for Switchblade-series loitering munitions, also known as kamikaze drones, over the next five years.
Air

Army Just Signed $1B Deal For Massive Order Of Switchblade Kamikaze Drones

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Aug 28, 2024

North Korea has revealed two new kamikaze drones that look to be virtual copies, at least externally, of the Israeli-made Harop and Hero-400.
Air

North Korea Unveils Clones of Israeli Kamikaze Drones

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Aug 26, 2024

The US Air Force's top officer in Europe has highlighted how kamikaze drones present threats, as well as opportunities, especially for smaller friendly countries that might not be able to afford higher-end capabilities.
Air

Long-Range Kamikaze Drones Offer ‘Cheap’ Strike Opportunities For U.S., Allies: USAF General

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jul 31, 2024

The US government has approved potential sales of Switchblade 300 and ALTIUS 600M loitering munitions to Taiwan.
Air

Sale Of Over 1,000 Kamikaze Drones To Taiwan Points To Grand “Hellscape” Counter-China Plans

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 19, 2024

Rogue 1 the marines' new drone.
Air

Rogue 1 Is One Of The Marine Corps’ Newest Kamikaze Drone

By Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on May 8, 2024

Anduril Industries, the company responsible for the popular ALTIUS series of drones, has undertaken a first live-fire test of its ALTIUS-700M loitering munition.
Air

Our First Look At The ALTIUS-700M Loitering Munition Obliterating A Target

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Mar 14, 2024

Russia appears to have started using first-person view-type kamikaze drones using a physical control line instead of a wireless link.
Air

Russia Now Looks To Be Using Wire-Guided Kamikaze Drones In Ukraine

By Joseph Trevithick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Mar 8, 2024