Profile
- Type
- Class 1 loitering munition UAS
- Conflict side
- Azerbaijan
- Origin
- Israel
- Service note
- Operational by the late 2010s; documented in Azerbaijani service during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war
Aircraft & UAVs
Aeronautics Orbiter 1K
The Aeronautics Orbiter 1K is an Israeli electric loitering munition derived from the Orbiter mini-UAS family, combining EO/IR surveillance with a fragmentation warhead for attacks on soft targets. Azerbaijan fielded Orbiter 1K systems alongside other Israeli and Turkish unmanned weapons during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.
- Conflict side
- Azerbaijan
- Built by
- Aeronautics Group
- Built in
- Israel
Service History
- In service
- Operational status announced in the mid-2010s; exported to Azerbaijan before the 2020 war
- Used by
- Azerbaijani Armed Forces
- Wars
- Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
Production History
- Designer
- Aeronautics Group
- Designed
- Introduced in 2015
- Built by
- Aeronautics Group
- Built in
- Israel
- Unit cost
- Not publicly disclosed
- Produced
- 2010s-present
- Number built
- Not publicly disclosed
- Variants
- Orbiter 1K, Zarba-K Azerbaijani-manufactured derivative, Iti Qovan Azerbaijani-manufactured derivative
Specifications
- Maximum takeoff weight
- 13 kg
- Wingspan
- 2.9 m
- Endurance
- Up to 2 hours
- Mission range
- Up to 50 km
- Loitering speed
- 38-50 kt
- Warhead
- Fragmentation warhead over 3 kg
- Sensors
- Stabilized mini EO/IR camera
- Launch and recovery
- Pneumatic launcher with parachute and airbag recovery
Conflict Usage
- Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
- Side: AzerbaijanRole: Loitering munition strike and target attack
Fielded by Azerbaijani forces as part of the Israeli-supplied loitering-munition and UAV arsenal used against Armenian forces during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.
Aeronautics Orbiter 1K Images
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Orbiter 1KPublisher: Aeronautics Group | Note: Supports manufacturer background, primary specifications, system role, and manufacturer-hosted product image provenance. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Orbiter 1K BrochurePublisher: Aeronautics Group | Note: Supports specifications including wingspan, MTOW, endurance, mission range, speed, warhead weight, EO/IR payload, and launch/recovery features. | Accessed: 2026-06-20The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, Two Weeks InPublisher: War on the Rocks | Note: Supports Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict direct use: Orbiter 1K was fielded by Azerbaijan among loitering munitions during the 2020 war. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Armed UAVs: An Asset, But Not Alone All-ConqueringPublisher: International Institute for Strategic Studies | Note: Supports Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict direct use: Orbiter 1K was used by Azerbaijan as a smaller loitering munition in the 2020 war and provides conflict-specific performance context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Death From Above - Azerbaijan's Killer Drone ArsenalPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports background on Azerbaijani Orbiter-1K inventory, local assembly context, and the wider UAV and loitering munition arsenal used by Azerbaijan in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. | Accessed: 2026-06-20The Use of Drones in the Ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh ConflictPublisher: Drone Wars UK | Note: Supports background on Azerbaijan's Orbiter 1K inventory, Israeli supply context, and uncertainty around public drone-use claims during the fighting. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Drone Sale to Azeris Halted as Maker Accused of Bombing Armenia in DemoPublisher: The Times of Israel | Note: Supports background on the Orbiter 1K export-license case involving Azerbaijan and Armenian positions before the 2020 war. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Israeli Defense Company Aeronautics Seals $13m Drone Deal with AzerbaijanPublisher: The Jerusalem Post | Note: Supports background on Aeronautics' post-license-reinstatement Azerbaijan drone support contract and identifies the Orbiter 1K image as Aeronautics credit. | Accessed: 2026-06-20