US army considers Israeli-made Firefly loitering mini-drone - Breaking Defense

The US army is considering adding an unusual, miniature new drone to its arsenal: the Israeli-made Spike-Firefly. The drone, which maker Rafael calls a “miniature electro-optical tactical loitering munition,” was among those tested at the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment, which wrapped up last month.
The Army is now analyzing the drone’s performance and is expected to decide soon on whether it’ll buy in. Standing about 16 inches tall and weighing less than 5 pounds, the tube-shaped Firefly takes off vertically with coaxial rotor blades and can carry 350 gram warheads. The munition includes an advanced multispectral seeker with both uncooled IR sensor, high-definition CMOS day sensor as well as a proximity sensor allowing the system to detect, identify, track and home on very agile targets, Rafael says. The drone can be used by a single operator, and its interface is designed to be as simple as possible to cut down on cognitive load — perhaps a strong selling point to a military struggling with data overload.