13 September 2023

DSEI 2023: IAI develops anti-tank loitering munition

by Huw Williams

A model of IAI's Rotem Alpha (Rotem A) loitering munition at DSEI 2023. The munition features an anti-tank warhead from the company's LAHAT missile. (Janes/Huw Williams)

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has added to its range of loitering munitions with the introduction of an anti-tank version of its Rotem system.

Unveiled at DSEI 2023 in London, the company's Rotem Alpha draws on the work undertaken in the development of the smaller Rotem, which itself leverages technology from IAI's Green Dragon system.

While the earlier Rotem is equipped with a warhead that utilises hand grenade technology, Uri Shenfeld, chief marketing officer of IAI's MBT Missiles Division, told Janes that the Rotem Alpha employs a 2.5 kg warhead from the company's Laser Homing Attack (LAHAT) missile.

Shenfeld said that this can be either the combined blast-fragmentation/anti-tank type, or the dedicated anti-tank version, the former of which can achieve 450 mm of armour penetration and the latter 800 mm, he added. While the LAHAT missile is fitted with a semi-active laser seeker, Shenfeld was unable to say if this capability could be added to the Rotem Alpha or not.

The Rotem Alpha has a quadcopter configuration and features a gimballed day/night electro-optical payload. While it has a mission endurance of 60 minutes and an operating range of 40 km via line-of-sight communications, Shenfeld explained that the air vehicle can employ a ‘perch mode' whereby it lands and conducts overwatch, waiting for a target for up to 24 hours and maintaining a video feed to the operator. If a target is not engaged, the munition can be recovered for later use.

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