loitering munition

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English

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Alternative forms

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Noun

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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.

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