HAROP

The Harop is a bigger, improved version of IAI's Harpy anti-radiation drone, equipped with an electro-optical sensor, enabling the operator to select targets during the loitering time over the target area for suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD) missions.

On Feb 15, 2016 Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) unveiled at the Singapore Airshow the newest members in its Loitering Munitions (LM) family. IAI is the world's pioneer in developing and fielding various types of LMs: the most prominent so far being Harpy (an autonomous anti-radiation LM for SEAD/DEAD missions) and HAROP, an Electro-Optical/Infra-Red (EO/IR)-guided, man-in-the-loop LM, designed to locate, track and destroy high quality static and mobile targets. Both systems have been sold extensively worldwide.

The IAI Harop (or IAI Harpy 2) is an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV), a "suicide drone", developed by the MBT division of Israel Aerospace Industries. Harop is a part-UAV, part-missile, in which the entire aircraft becomes an attack weapon upon spotting a target. It is a hunting missile driven by a ground-based pilot.

A HAROP unit is comprised of launchers and a Mission Control Shelter (MCS) which enables missile control with a man-in-the-loop operation, engagement or abort attack capability in real time, thereby avoiding collateral damage. HAROP, with a warhead of 15kg, can be used in a range of battle scenarios, including low and high intensity conflict, urban warfare and counter terror operations. HAROP is launched from transportable launchers and navigates towards the target area, where it can loiter and search for targets for up to six hours. Once a target, whether stationary or moving, is detected, it is attacked and destroyed. The attack can be performed from any direction and at any attack angle, from flat to vertical. By 2015, hundreds of HAROP systems had been sold to different customers, for an accumulated amount of hundreds of millions of dollars. In mid-2015, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) completed a series of flight demonstrations of its HAROP Loitering Munitions in Israel for a foreign customer. These demonstrations follow various other successful operational exercises performed in the last few months for different customers. The HAROP demonstrated augmented capabilities in the field of observation, flight altitude and loitering, in addition to better maneuvering and target destruction. During the exercises, the missile loitered for several hours until the target was selected. Then, with maximum precision it dived directly on to it. Boaz Levi, IAI Corporate Vice President and General Manager of the Systems, Missiles & Space Group said: "The successful flight demonstrations and operational tests reflect HAROP's reliability and quality, together with its advanced technological capabilities. IAI is a world pioneer in the field of loitering munitions. Products from IAI's line of loitering munitions are based on innovative and technological breakthroughs and upgrade the future combat array that includes unmanned systems. There is no doubt that HAROP gives its users significant operational advantages. We consider HAROP as a leading system with considerable sales potential".

Specifications