 "A Boeing C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft of the United States Air Force (USAF) flies past a Harop unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) during an aerial display at the Singapore Airshow in Singapore, February 17, 2012. File Image/Reuters")
Tensions between India and Pakistan are heating up as India, in response to Pakistan’s bid to “engage a number of military targets in Northern and Western India,” reportedly used drones to strike targets in urban town in Pakistan.
Pakistan has claimed that India employed Israeli-made Harop drones — also known as loitering munitions or suicide drones. These claims have directed attention to the Harop drone, its operational history, and its battlefield capabilities.
In the early hours of May 7, 2025, India launched coordinated air strikes targeting nine terror-related locations across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), under the codename Operation Sindoor .
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The Pakistani military claimed that there were Harop drones, shot down in multiple areas on Thursday, including within the limits of Lahore and Karachi .
“Debris is being collected from all impact sites, including within Karachi and Lahore city limits,” a spokesperson for the Pakistan military said. “We are neutralising them one by one,” the spokesperson claimed.
All we know about the Harop
The Harop drone, developed by the MBT Missiles Division of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), belongs to a class of weapons known as loitering munitions.
These drones are designed to hover in a designated area for extended periods, identify hostile targets, and destroy them by crashing into them with a built-in explosive payload.
Unlike conventional UAVs, which return after surveillance missions, loitering munitions serve a dual purpose: reconnaissance and attack.
The Harop is equipped with an electro-optical (EO) or infrared (IR) seeker to detect, track, and engage static or mobile threats, including radar systems, missile launchers, and command posts.
Capable of autonomous operation with human oversight, the Harop offers a man-in-the-loop control mode, allowing the operator to make final decisions before impact. It is also equipped with abort capability, allowing for mission cancellation mid-flight to avoid collateral damage.
Some of the drone’s notable features include:
A wingspan of 3 meters and a length of 2.5 meters.
Maximum speed of 417 km/h.
Operational range of 200 km.
Flight endurance exceeding six hours.
Service ceiling of approximately 15,000 feet.
A 16 kg high-explosive warhead.
Circular Error Probable (CEP) of under one meter, making it highly accurate.
This combination of attributes allows the Harop to loiter over hostile areas, strike from any angle—including shallow or steep dives — and perform in GPS-denied environments due to its resistance to GNSS jamming.
Harop is combat-proven
The Harop has demonstrated its combat effectiveness in multiple conflict zones. It first gained major attention during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict , where Azerbaijan employed the drone to great effect against Armenian forces.
The Harop proved especially effective in targeting enemy air defences and armored units, often in challenging conditions such as freezing weather and heavy electronic warfare interference.
An advisor to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Hikmet Hajiyev, publicly praised the Harop’s effectiveness during that conflict.
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The drone has also been credited with destroying a Syrian Air Defence SA-22 Greyhound system on May 10, 2018. More recently, on December 9, 2024, the Harop was reportedly used in an attack on Syrian Armed Forces.
This battlefield history underlines the Harop’s role as a critical tool for neutralising high-value, time-sensitive targets without requiring prior ground intelligence. Its autonomous capabilities and ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) functions allow for real-time adjustments and precision strikes.
India’s use of Harop
India has been a known operator of the Harop drone for over a decade. The Indian Air Force first showed interest in the platform in the mid-2000s and began formal procurement in 2009.
That year, it announced the purchase of Harop systems worth around $100 million. The drones were first publicly unveiled ahead of the Aero India 2009 air show.
By 2019, India had significantly expanded its inventory of these drones. The Indian Air Force decided to add 54 more Harops to its existing fleet of over 100, re-designating them as P-4.
In 2021, India acquired additional Harop systems, specifically to strengthen surveillance and offensive capabilities along the borders with Pakistan and China.
The Indian military is believed to operate the Harop from both ground-based and naval canister-launch platforms, enabling flexibility in deployment across diverse terrains.
Although India has not officially confirmed the use of Harop drones in the current operation, the country’s long-standing procurement and operational integration of the system suggest it forms a core part of its offensive drone arsenal.
Other variants
Apart from India and Israel, several countries have incorporated the Harop into their defence strategies. Azerbaijan is one of the most visible users of the drone, credited with extensive operational success.
The Netherlands recently announced acquisition plans for its Navy, specifically for amphibious and multi-support ships operated by the Koninklijke Marine. Morocco is also reported to be among the drone’s international customers.
IAI has also developed a more compact version of the drone, known as the Mini Harop. Designed for tactical operations, it offers a shorter endurance of around one hour and is typically launched from light tactical vehicles.
The Mini Harop is particularly effective against fast-moving, fleeting targets in battlefield scenarios where rapid deployment and high accuracy are essential.
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These drones offer a low-risk, high-impact alternative to manned aerial missions, especially in scenarios requiring stealth, endurance and pinpoint accuracy.
With inputs from agencies