LOITERING MUNITIONS BATTLEFIELD GAME CHANGER
Geopolitics|December 2023
Loitering Munitions (LM) have emerged as a disrupting new weapon category following deployments in numerous recent conflicts.
LOITERING MUNITIONS BATTLEFIELD GAME CHANGER

This weapon shaped the battlefield and inflicted damage at scales far beyond its physical size. As a result, armed forces worldwide are interested in the offensive and defensive aspects of this weapon category as they realize the unique capabilities enabled by those weapons.

LMs are particularly useful when users seek more flexibility and responsiveness in employing firepower to quickly spot the enemy and act decisively based on the information acquired by the weapon itself in real-time. This is a novel approach compared to how other precision-guided weapons are used they need a precise location of targets to pursue their attack. To gain maximum precision, legacy weapons require the location of the targets before launch, even when the general area of enemy activity is known.

The loitering munitions resemble an alert hunter on the prowl, patiently watching and waiting for its target to reveal itself, then delivering the lethal blow at the right time. These weapons are designed to operate in complex arenas and detect hidden stationary targets, those moving at sea. IAI's family of loitering munitions is the ideal match for the time-critical, elusive, or evasive enemy targets.

Loitering munitions can stay in the area of operation for hours, using sensitive electro-optic or scanning sensors covering a wide area in which enemy activity is identified.

This story is from the December 2023 edition of Geopolitics.

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This story is from the December 2023 edition of Geopolitics.

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