loitering munition

English

Alternative forms

• loiter munition

Noun

loitering munition (plural loitering munitions)

1. (military, weaponry) A munition, often a UAV, that waits passively around the target area and attacks only once a target is located.

   Synonyms: (informal) kamikaze drone, suicide drone

   Coordinate term: homing munition

   • 2018, Paul Scharre, chapter 3, in Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War‎^[1], W. W. Norton & Company, →ISBN:

     Loitering munitions can circle overhead for extended periods of time, searching for potential targets over a wide area and, once they find one, destroy it. Unlike homing munitions, loitering munitions do not require precise intelligence on enemy targets before launch.

   • 2021 June 3, Maria Cramer, quoting Ulrike Franke, “A.I. Drone May Have Acted on Its Own in Attacking Fighters, U.N. Says”, in The New York Times‎^[2], →ISSN:

     She noted that the report stated the Kargu-2 and “other loitering munitions” attacked convoys and retreating fighters. Loitering munitions, which are simpler autonomous weapons that are designed to hover on their own in an area before crashing into a target, have been used in several other conflicts, Ms. Franke said.

Translations

munition that waits passively

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 巡飛彈／巡飞弹 (xúnfēidàn)

• Finnish: vaaniva ammus, vaaniva ase
• French: munition rôdeuse (fr) f, munition maraudeuse f
• Russian: барражи́рующий боеприпа́с (ru) m (barražírujuščij bojepripás), БПБ m (BPB)
• Swedish: patrullrobot c, självmordsdrönare c, kamikazedrönare (sv) c
• Ukrainian: баражу́ючий боєприпа́с m (baražújučyj bojeprypás), БПБ m (BPB)

Further reading

• loitering munition on Wikipedia.Wikipedia