Israel Aerospace Industries on Monday announced that it has signed contracts with NATO countries to supply its loitering munition system, known popularly as “killer drones.”
Israeli state-owned company will supply Rotem loitering munitions to three mystery customers from NATO.
Rotem is a unique combat-proven Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) tactical loitering munition intended for use by customers’ special forces and can also serve for test and evaluation purposes.
Rotem is part of IAI’s family of loitering munitions which includes Harpy, Harop and Mini-Harpy, and has been proven in different combat situations since 2019.
Avi Elisha, MBT Missile Division VP and General Maneger: “This announcement follows the decision of another NATO member, Estonia, to purchase IAI’s long-range loitering munitions. The acquisition of Rotem by three different NATO members reflects the high and growing global demand for tactical loitering munitions. IAI has extensive experience in loitering munitions, having invented this type of munition almost 40 years ago. Rotem’s unique capabilities include Vertical Takeoff and Landing making it a perfect choice for close combat scenarios, including urban combat.”
Rotem is effective up to a range of 10 kilometers and was designed for deployment by an individual soldier at the infantry or small unit/special forces level. It’s a simple operation and robust design makes it highly cost-effective.