IAI Harop (Harpy)

2005 MODERN AIRCRAFT DRONE TECHNOLOGY

• 1 IAI Harop (Harpy) History
• 2 IAI Harop (Harpy) Specification
  • 2.1 Basic
  • 2.2 Production
  • 2.3 Roles
  • 2.4 Dimensions
  • 2.5 Weight
  • 2.6 Performance
  • 2.7 Performance
  • 2.8 Armor
  • 2.9 Changes

IAI Harop (Harpy) History

Few areas of the military have developed as rapidly as unmanned systemsunmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are often referred to as drones in the popular press. Special attack forms have also emerged under the unmanned combat aircraft (UCAV) classification, and now Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has introduced a one-shot attack UCAV with inherent surveillance capabilities as part of its overall design - the IAI" Harop" ("Harpy")).

The Harop is part of the drone and part of the missile development, and when the entire aircraft detects a target of opportunity, it becomes an offensive weapon. It is essentially a fighter missile driven by a representative of a ground pilot. In this way, Harrop is a complete "hunt and kill" UCAV system, able to roam the designated area, monitor enemy movements, and hunt key targets. As with other drone platforms, communications and data, including video, are relayed to ground control operators in real-time. During the dive, Harrop becomes his own slam weapon, which the operator uses to lower the aircraft against a suspicious/identified enemy target, the primary payload is a 51 lb warhead for maximum damage harm.

The Harp is equipped with a cancel function, allowing the aircraft to quickly break out of its engagement dive zone if necessary and resume its reconnaissance role for a short period of time. It is also not limited to land-based attacks on stationary targets, as it can also be launched against ocean-going targets moving on water.

From the looks of it, the Harop is a sci-fi fighter. Its bulbous nose assembly houses the warhead and chin optics. The canard front wings are also present in the nose section. The fuselage is integrated into the wing structure, and the main wing section has a curved leading edge. The wing extensions are mounted on the outside of the two vertical rear gins and look almost swept-forward.

A single, conventional engine sits at the final center of the design, driving a twin-blade engine in a "propeller" configuration. The aircraft is launched from a prepared container and expands its outer wing sections during takeoff.

Features include a length of 8 feet 2 inches and a wingspan of 9 feet 10 inches. The range is said to be in the range of 1000km or up to 6 hours of flight time, giving operators a good range or a lingering window.

To date, the harp has been exported to a handful of Asian countries, although sales in Ukraine have been halted due to political pressure from Russia during the war with its neighbors and former Soviet vassals.

IAI Harop (Harpy) Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes