What is Loitering weapon?
Some weapons are able to wait over an area before they hit their target. They are called '''loitering weapons'''. Other names include '''loitering munition''', '''suicide drone''' or '''kamikaze drone'''. During the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]], Ukraine has used loitering weapons including [[Switchblade (drone)]] and [[Bayraktar]]. Russia has used [[ZALA Lancet|Lancet]],<ref>[https://iz.ru/1242367/aleksei-ramm-bogdan-stepovoi/pod-kryshei-drona-vmf-usilivaetsia-bpla-kamikadze?destination=node/1242367 Под крышей дрона: ВМФ усиливается БПЛА-камикадзе], Izvestia, 20 October 2021</ref><ref>[https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/11/02/russia-ships-kamikaze-drones/ Russian naval ships to be armed with kamikaze drones], The Defense Post, 2 November 2021</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/05/russia-attacked-u-s-supplied-howitzers-in-ukraine-with-kamikaze-drones-and-rockets/ | title=Russia Attacked U.S. Supplied Howitzers in Ukraine With Kamikaze Drones and Rockets | date=19 May 2022}}</ref> and [[Shahed 136|Geran-2]] (also known as ''Shahed 136''). Loitering weapons are different from [[cruise missile]]s, because cruise missiles do not wait ([[loitering|loiter]]) over the target area. They are different from [[UCAV]]s in that a loitering weapon is intended to be used in an attack and has a built-in warhead. Loitering weapons are more similar to a [[unmanned aerial vehicle|drone]], but they also have some properties of a [[missile]]. In this type of weapon, the munition waits, until it detects a target. Sometimes, it waits until it is given a command to attack. Loitering weapons allow selecting targets more precisely. ==History== The first loitering weapons were built in the 1980s. At that time, they were used against [[Surface to Air Missile|surface-to-air missiles]] (SAMs). They were used to suppress enemy air defenses in the 1990s. From the 2000s, loitering weapons have been developed for extra roles such as large ones for relatively long-range strikes and fire support, or tactical,