Israel-Iran Conflict Intensifies: What Are Suicide Drones?

Conflict in the Middle East continues to escalate for the ninth straight day, with Iran reportedly launching its suicide drones – Arash-1 and Arash-2 – on Israel. According to unverified reports by Iranian media, Iran launched multiple Arash drones toward Israel. However, the claims have not been officially confirmed.
While Israel launched strikes on Iran’s nuclear centres last week, the battle has escalated with Iran reportedly launching the Fattah missile first, followed by cluster bombs and now suicide drones.

Arash-1 & Arash-2: Everything You Need to Know
Developed by the Iranian Army Ground Forces, Arash-1 and Arash-2 are long-range military drones. They are known as suicide drones because they destroy themselves in the attack.
While the Arash-1 drone is estimated to have a range of around 1,000 to 1,400 km, the upgraded version, Arash-2, unveiled in 2022, has a range of up to 2,000 km.
These drones are equipped with GPS navigation systems and are utilized for fixed-target missions.
They are also referred to as loitering munitions, as they hover over the target for minutes—or even hours—before attacking and ultimately exploding on impact.
These drones are part of Iran's expanding fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), designed primarily for long-range attacks and surveillance.

Other Suicide Drones
Developed by Iran, the Shahed-136 is reportedly used by Russia in Ukraine and supplied to proxy groups in the Middle East.
The US has developed the Switchblade, which is used by American and Ukrainian forces.
Israel’s Harop, developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), is used for deep-strike missions.

Concerns Over Deploying Suicide Drones
As suicide drones become increasingly associated with urban warfare, concerns over ethical and civilian safety issues have been raised. These drones can be mass-deployed in swarms, resulting in large-scale explosions. They are also hard to intercept due to their small radar signature.