Context:
Recently, Ukrainian officials said that Ukraine’s capital region was struck by Iranian-made kamikaze drones, .
Relevance:
GS III: Science and Technology
Dimensions of the Article:
- What are Kamikaze drones?
- Which countries have such drones?
What are Kamikaze drones?
- These are small unmanned aircraft packed with explosives that can be flown directly at a tank or a group of troops that are destroyed when it hits the target and explodes.
- The name comes from the World War 2 era’s feared Japanese kamikaze pilots, who conducted suicide attacks by intentionally crashing their explosive filled aircraft into enemy targets.
- The modern drone versions have the capability of surpassing traditional defences to strike their targets and are also cheaper than their larger counterparts.
- The small lethal drones are difficult to detect on radar, and through the use of facial recognition, can be programmed to hit targets without human intervention.
Which countries have such drones?
- Some countries have admitted to using such armed drones, while others have been accused of utilising them to carry out covert attacks.
- According to the US military, Iranian-backed militias have used small drones in 10 attacks on US bases in Iraq this year.
- Azerbaijan had used small Turkish-made drones against the Armenian military in the last few years, shifting the prolonged stalemate over a disputed enclave decisively in Azerbaijan’s favour.
- There have been also multiple occasions where Russia has used such suicide drones to launch attacks in Ukraine following their invasion.
- Iranian-backed Houthi rebels also used them to blow up Saudi oil facilities in 2019.
-Source: Indian Express
