Warplanes: Giving The Infantry Their Own Bomber Aircraft

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April 27, 2016: The Israeli military has bought some new locally developed Roetm L UAVs for their infantry to use in urban combat. What is unique about the Roetm L it is a lightweight (4.5 kg/10 pound) quad-copter that not only carries the usual day/night cameras but is also armed with two 450g (one pound) grenades that can be armed and released by operator command. With 30 minutes endurance and easily learned Rotem L can be carried (in a case) by one man, set up and ready to go in a minute or so and recovered for reuse. The controller has a range of up to 10 kilometers but in a dense urban environment the max range is more like 1,500 meters. The major advantage of Rotem L is that it is quiet and can be flown through open doors or windows.

Carrying one or no grenades allows Rotem L to stay airborne for up to 45 minutes. The grenades can be triggered while still aboard Rotem L to provide a self-destruct mechanism. If Rotem L lands with live grenades aboard the operator can double check the armed status of the grenades before recharging it for another mission. Rotem L can be used unarmed by police or carry tear gas or flash-bang grenades.

 

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