Profile
- Type
- Long-range loitering munition
- Conflict side
- Azerbaijan
- Origin
- Israel
- Service note
- 2000s-present
Aircraft & UAVs
IAI Harop
The IAI Harop is an Israeli long-range loitering munition that combines UAV-style sensing with a one-way precision strike payload. In the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Azerbaijan used Harop alongside other Turkish and Israeli unmanned systems to attack Armenian forces and air-defense-related targets.
- Conflict side
- Azerbaijan
- Built by
- Israel Aerospace Industries
- Built in
- Israel
Service History
- In service
- Export service by the 2010s; documented Azerbaijani use in 2020
- Used by
- Azerbaijani Armed Forces
- Wars
- Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
Production History
- Designer
- Israel Aerospace Industries MBT Missiles Division
- Designed
- 2000s
- Built by
- Israel Aerospace Industries
- Built in
- Israel
- Variants
- HAROP
Specifications
- Launch method
- Canister-launched from land vehicles or naval vessels
- Endurance
- Up to 9 hours
- Guidance and control
- Electro-optic seeker with remote human-in-the-loop mission control
- Attack profile
- Can loiter, identify targets, and strike from shallow or steep dive angles
- Resilience
- Advertised by IAI as immune to GNSS jamming
Conflict Usage
- Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
- Side: AzerbaijanRole: Loitering munition strikes against Armenian forces
Azerbaijan fielded Israeli-made Harop loitering munitions during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh fighting, where Azerbaijani officials said the drones were effective and CSIS described Israeli loitering munitions as part of Azerbaijan's drone strike arsenal.
IAI Harop Images
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HAROP Advanced Loitering Munition SystemPublisher: Israel Aerospace Industries | Note: Supports manufacturer background, long-range loitering munition description, launch method, electro-optic seeker, human control, GNSS-jamming resilience, target set, and endurance specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-20The Air and Missile War in Nagorno-KarabakhPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict direct-use context: Harop was fielded by Azerbaijan as part of its Israeli loitering munition inventory in the 2020 war. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Azerbaijan using Israeli kamikaze drones in Nagorno-Karabakh clashesPublisher: Axios | Note: Supports Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict direct-use context: Harop drones were used by Azerbaijan in the fighting, according to an Azerbaijani presidential adviser. | Accessed: 2026-06-20IAI Harop PAS 2013 01Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a CC BY 4.0 photograph of an IAI Harop at the Paris Air Show 2013. | Accessed: 2026-06-20IAI Harop PAS 2013 02Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a CC BY 4.0 photograph of an IAI Harop at the Paris Air Show 2013. | Accessed: 2026-06-20IAI Harop Paris Air Show 2009Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a freely licensed photograph of an IAI Harop at the Paris Air Show 2009. | Accessed: 2026-06-20IAI Harop UAVPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a CC BY-SA 2.0 photograph of an IAI Harop display at Aero India 2013. | Accessed: 2026-06-20