Israel Aerospace Industries shows off 'loitering' missile at India air show

Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Israel Aerospace Industries unveiled its newest tactical drone missile at the Aero India Show in Bangalore on Wednesday.

The missile, called the Mini Harpy, is in the category of "loitering missiles," also known as suicide drones or kamikaze drones. It is capable of flying, or loitering, in the vicinity of a target area, before it locates a target missile and attacks it. The Mini Harpy combines the capabilities of two of IAI's older weapons systems, the Harop and the Harpy.

The new missile can neutralize any radar observing it, offer on-board video footage for the operator and can be launched from various land, mobile and maritime platforms. It can operate in a 60-mile range for two hours.

"Rather than relying on precise reference point, the system we developed loiters the air waiting for the target to appear and then attacks and destroys the hostile threat within seconds," AIA General Manager Boaz Levy said in a statement.

The system made its debut on Wednesday at the Aero India Show, a biennial presentation at which over one million visitors are expected during a five-day event. The newest aircraft technology is on display from manufacturers around the world.