Israel Aerospace Industries recently performed a successful demonstration of its newest kamikaze drone, dubbed “Rotem,” which is designed to carry out “suicide missions” to destroy enemy targets.
According to the company’s website, Rotem is a lightweight, multi-rotor, lethal assault drone with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, making it suitable for intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance missions, as well as for tactical missions.
The drone has a range of up to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) and can hover for 30 to 45 minutes before diving down at a speed of up to 50 knots. It carries a 1-kilogram warhead, has a 1-meter strike precision and can be deployed with one minute by a single soldier, making it ideal against low-signature enemy systems in urban and complex environments.
The drone folds into 38x7x5 inches and offers several automated modes to ensure accurate execution of the mission as well as operational safety, the company said.
It said the test covered the drone’s “end-to-end capabilities,” including a rapid, precision strike on a miniature target.
“The demonstration was held under tough field and weather conditions, highlighting the system’s ability to respond quickly and effectively to a low-signature enemy in a threatened space,” it said.
IAI executive vice president and general manager Boaz Levy said “the pilot in which we have proved the complete capability range of the Rotem constitutes a quantum leap.”
He continued, “I believe that a drone that combines reconnaissance and surveillance, terrain dominance, and a combination of various sensors and assault capabilities adds significant value to fighting forces, with an emphasis on complex warfare situations that require fast, accurate and available response to battlefield threats. The Rotem, with its multiple capabilities, constitutes a unique platform for enhancing land warfare.”
