IAI Harop

The IAI Harop is a loitering munition. It is designed to hover or loiter above the battlefield, waiting for targets to be exposed, and attack upon the operator's command.

Overview

The Harop loitering munition combines the advantages of a missile and an Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV). Harop is launched from a canister, reaches a "holding area" where it may loiter for hours conducting critical Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) for the mission. Once it finds its target, the Harop proceeds to the attack phase, detonating itself on the target.

The Harop uses a man-in-the-loop control mode which is operated by a remote mission operator. The Harop operator can select static or moving targets detected by the aircraft's electro-optical (EO) sensor. The IAI Harop has an endurance of over 6 hours of flight and a range of 1000 km.

IAI developed a smaller version of the Harop for more tactical missions and ranges, naming the product Mini Harop. The Mini Harop is designed to be launched out of canisters on tactical military vehicles like the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) and has a mission endurance of 1 hour. Mini Harop is typically used against time-critical targets or targets that hide and re-appear.

History

Harop was developed with an electro-optical sensor following the rich legacy of the IAI Harpy loitering munition which completely altered military strategies across the world beginning in the 1980s.

Harop is used widely across the globe and has garnered many operational successes. Allegedly Turkey may have been the launch customer for the Harop in 2005. In October 2005, MBDA for consideration as the system for the Ministry's Loitering Munition Capability Demonstration (LMCD) program, otherwise known as " Fire Shadow". The Harop was selected as one of the finalists, but the UK MoD ultimately chose a locally-manufactured solution.

In August 2007, the government of India was negotiating to purchase eight to ten Harop systems. In September 2009, the Indian Air Force announced that it will be inducting the Harop systems purchased for US$100 million "for up to 10 drones". The Harop was publicly unveiled to the world for the first time in India, in the lead-up to the Aero India 2009 show. In February 2019, the Indian Air Force decided to add another 54 Harop drones to its fleet of around 110 of these drones, which they had renamed P-4. The Harop was also bought by several unnamed customers and remains a key asset for country defense strategies.

Combat history

Harop is most widely recognized for its combat effectiveness in Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in April 2016. IAI Harop loitering munition was used with success to take out military threats in extremely difficult operating conditions, including freezing temperatures, shallow and steep dives, and GPS jammed zones. In 2020, Hikmet Hajiyev, an advisor to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, praised the effectiveness of the Harop in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

In addition to Nagorno-Karabakh, the Harop was also credited for destroying a Syrian Air Defence SA-22 Greyhound on 10 May 2018.

On 9 December 2024, Harop was used in an attack on Syrian Armed Forces within Syria.

2025 India-Pakistan conflict

On 8th May 2025, IAI Harop drones were used by the Indian Air force to destroy Pakistan's air defence system in Lahore under a SEAD operation. Multiple sources confirmed that Anti Aircraft guns in Lahore were neutralized by Harop. The locations of these air defence systems were unintentionally posted on social media by Pakistani locals hence it helped Indian drones to target these air defense with pin point accuracy. Pakistan's civil aviation authorities temporarily suspended operations at four airports on Thursday, before lifting the restrictions: The DG ISPR, the Pakistani military's spokesman, detailed the locations where drones sent by India were reportedly neutralised — in Lahore, Attock, Gujranwala, Chakwal, Rawalpindi, Nankana Sahib, and Bahawalpur (all in Punjab) and in Miano, Ghotki, Chhor, and near Karachi (all in Sindh). Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) officials told Xinhua that flight operations at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Islamabad International Airport, and Sialkot International Airport would remain suspended until further notification. The attacks, according to the Pakistani army, were an “extreme act of provocation” that could lead to a major escalation of violence between the two nuclear powers.

Operators

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* : Acquisition announced for use on Amphibious & Multi-Support Ships by the Koninklijke Marine
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Specifications

See also

* IAI Harpy
* SEAD
* UCAV

References

External links

HAROP - Loitering Munition System
IAI website. Retrieved 2020-10-09.

New IDF UAV revealed (video)

{{IAI aircraft

Canard aircraft
Delta-wing aircraft
Harop
2000s Israeli military reconnaissance aircraft
Single-engined pusher aircraft
Harop
Wankel-engined aircraft
Loitering munitions