Harpy system -- an earlier version of Harop -- is designed to
operate multiple munitions simultaneously over a targeted location.
Once the suspected radar is acquired, Harpy homes in on the signal
and detonates its warhead just above the target.
Israel is developing a loitering drone capable of tracking elusive ground
targets amid reports that Iran is seeking an anti-aircraft system.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is
reportedly
developing a killer drone, known as Harop, which can be used against
"anti-aircraft systems and mobile or concealed ballistic missile launchers".
Video footage of the hunter-killer drone's test-flight showed a prototype of the
system destroy a naval target.
Harop, which is deployed as a "fire and forget" weapon, is designed to travel
over 1,000 kilometers to patrol an assigned area and attack any hostile radar
activated in its vicinity.
The development comes at a time when the Israeli military is making preliminary
preparations for launching a war against Iran to take out the country's nuclear
infrastructure -- according to its annual
work
plan for 2009.
Despite Western doubts over the success of any military plan against Iran,
Israel -- which terms the country as an "existential threat" -- has repeatedly
threatened to take out Iranian nuclear infrastructure through aerial strikes.
Officials in Tehran contend that the country's nuclear program is directed at
the civilian applications of the technology. Israel, however, accuses Iran, a
signatory of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), of developing nuclear
weaponry.
While casting doubt over the possibility of an imminent Israeli attack, Iran has
moved to enhance its defensive capabilities against aerial strikes through
acquiring a sophisticated Russian-built anti-aircraft missile system, S-300.
The S-300, dubbed as the "game-changer", is feared by US and Israeli weapons
experts as an element that can effectively rule out a successful attack against
Iran.
"If Tehran obtained the S-300, it would be a game-changer in military thinking
for tackling Iran," says long-time Pentagon advisor Dan Goure.
Iran is reportedly negotiating a
deal with Russia to obtain the S-300 surface-to-air defense system
capable of engaging up to 100 targets at once.
The surface-to-air system tracks targets using a mobile radar station, immune to
jamming.
The Harop drone, meanwhile, is designed to loiter over suspected locations to
spot and attack targets as they are exposed right before activation.
Due to its low speed and economical fuel consumption, the drone can sustain a
mission of several hours over the targeted area.
Harop, an advanced version of the Harpy killer drone, has been optimized to
operate against enemy radars and surface-to-air missiles.
The radar killer drone is also capable of detecting suspected ballistic missile
sites, where it would target missile silos and shelters as they are opened
before firing.
With Israeli war threats running hot and cold, Tehran has long been eying the
S-300 defense system to ensure the safety of its nuclear infrastructure against
a potential Israeli strike.
Tel Aviv, however, expects to surprise Iranian military officials with the
loitering weapon as it can target the radar-equipped S-300 before it enters
attack mode.
