# Loitering Munition A weapon system that combines the persistence of a [[Drone]] with the lethality of a missile: it circles an area ("loiters") until it identifies a target, then dives into it and detonates. Unlike a traditional missile, which is fired at a known target, a loitering munition can search for targets autonomously, wait for opportunities, and be recalled if the mission changes. The loitering munition blurred the line between drone and missile, and in doing so, created a new weapons category that existing arms control frameworks struggle to classify. Key systems: **AeroVironment Switchblade** — the U.S. military's primary tactical loitering munition. Switchblade 300 (anti-personnel) and Switchblade 600 (anti-armor) were deployed to Ukraine starting in 2022. **IAI Harop** — Israeli-made system that homes in on radar emissions; used by [[Azerbaijan]] against Armenian air defenses in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, demonstrating the weapon class's effectiveness against conventional forces. **ZALA Lancet** — Russia's primary loitering munition; deployed extensively in Ukraine. Increasingly AI-assisted target identification. The [[Autonomous Weapons Debate]] intersects loitering munitions at the autonomy question: current systems require a human operator to authorize the strike, but the technology enables fully autonomous target selection. A [[Swarm Robotics]] deployment of loitering munitions — dozens or hundreds orbiting an area and independently selecting targets — is the scenario that drives LAWS (Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems) policy discussions. ## See Also - [[Drone]] — the broader platform category - [[Counter-Drone]] — the defensive response - [[Swarm Robotics]] — the force-multiplication concept - [[Autonomous Weapons Debate]] — the policy context - [[Kill Chain]] — the targeting cycle loitering munitions compress - [[Technology Lexicon]] — the full vocabulary (robotics section)