Israel Made a Kamikaze Quadcopter from Hell

Israel Aerospace Industries has taken the quadcopter to its logical conclusion: They built a man-hunting flying suicide drone. The ROTEM-L unmanned aerial vehicle is designed to hunt down targets in urban environments and execute a suicide attack, blowing them up with hand grenades.

ROTEM-L weighs 9 pounds, carries infrared cameras, and has a flying time of 30 minutes. An operator uses a tablet to guide the drone. He or she uses the forward-fixed camera to search for targets—IAI says the drone is virtually silent at ranges of 200 meters. Once a target is located, the operator can activate the attack mode. ROTEM-L executes a high speed on attack its prey. Once in range, the drone detonates two onboard fragmentation grenades, destroying itself and the target. 

The drone doesn't have to be a suicide bomber. If it fails to find a target, the drone can land safely to be reused later. Alternately, the grenades can be swapped out for a payload of more sensors, which ensures a longer flying time. 

A kamikaze drone that can be carried into battle by a single solder has some interesting implications. A flying suicide drone may be more effective than traditional infantry support weapons such as mortars and light artillery, though we won't know until they're actually tested out in battle. A promotional video for ROTEM-L is below. You'll never look at a flying quadcopter the same way.