AUSA 2025: IAI’s Mini Harpy loitering munition reappears with dual EO/IR and anti-radar seeker
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IAI displayed the Mini Harpy at AUSA 2025 after first unveiling the system in February 2019, a compact loitering munition that combines anti-radiation homing with an electro-optical/infrared seeker. The dual-seeker design and man-in-the-loop control give brigade and naval commanders a pocket SEAD and time-sensitive strike option for contested littorals and urban environments.
Washington, D.C, Oct 16: During AUSA 2025, Israel Aerospace Industries displayed the Mini Harpy, a tactical loitering munition that blends an electro optic and infrared seeker with an anti radiation homing capability. The system resurfaced in Washington during AUSA 2025, a timely appearance as the U.S. Army and its allies reassess how to suppress air defenses and strike fleeting targets in contested airspace. The Mini Harpy is purpose built for that problem set, offering a dual seeker and man in the loop control in a compact, canister launched weapon.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
IAI Mini Harpy is a canister-launched 50 kg loitering munition with dual anti-radiation and EO/IR seeker, ~1-hour endurance, 100 km range and a precision 7 kg warhead for SEAD and armed ISR (Picture source: Army Recognition Group).
At the hardware level, the Mini Harpy is a 50-kilogram air vehicle powered by an electric motor for near silent flight. IAI’s product literature lists a one hour endurance, a 100-kilometer operating radius, a dash speed of roughly 200 knots, and a 7-kilogram warhead. Circular error probable is advertised at under one meter, and the weapon can be aborted and re attacked, a critical safety feature for complex urban or coalition operations. The effector is packaged in a sealed, single-use launch canister that can be mounted on light tactical trucks or naval craft, enabling units to carry a magazine of rounds without a large logistics footprint.
An anti-radiation channel enables passive homing on emitting radars for classic suppression of enemy air defenses. When the radar shuts down, a gimbaled EO/IR payload allows the operator to visually acquire and prosecute non-emitting targets, including vehicles, air defense launchers, and command posts. IAI describes automatic search and engagement for moving or stationary targets and states the system is meant to persist over the objective, quietly holding at altitude until a target of opportunity presents itself. Weather-tolerant operation and a man-in-the-loop firing chain are emphasized to reduce collateral risk and provide commander confidence in cluttered electromagnetic environments.
On the battlefield, Mini Harpy gives brigade and division commanders a pocket SEAD tool. From concealed canisters, teams can loft salvos that immediately sanitize a corridor by forcing hostile radars to shut down or be destroyed. If the air defense goes dark, the same round can transition to electro-optic targeting and hit the battery’s launchers or support vehicles. The combination of quiet propulsion, tight CEP, and abort capability makes it suitable for urban counter air defense hunts or time-sensitive strikes against high-value emitters. At sea, the canister architecture invites use from patrol craft for littoral denial and counter battery roles along the coast, where a passive seeker reduces the signature of the attack and complicates adversary warning timelines.
Loitering munitions have surged to the center of modern combined arms warfare, during the Ukraine war for example, pushing NATO members to scale buys and diversify suppliers. IAI has announced multiple agreements for long-range loitering munitions since 2023, including a contract with Estonia’s Centre for Defence Investment; photos accompanying those releases depict both Harop and Mini Harpy, though exact variants and quantities were not disclosed. In parallel, IAI notes new deals with two additional countries for systems from the family, again without naming the types, underscoring the sensitivity and demand in Europe’s rearmament cycle. Open source Israeli reporting adds that Mini Harpy has been tested operationally since 2019. While Israel and IAI have not publicly listed Mini Harpy operators, the pattern of European orders and Asia Pacific marketing suggests early fielding with undisclosed customers alongside established Harpy and Harop users in India and South Korea.
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IAI displayed the Mini Harpy at AUSA 2025 after first unveiling the system in February 2019, a compact loitering munition that combines anti-radiation homing with an electro-optical/infrared seeker. The dual-seeker design and man-in-the-loop control give brigade and naval commanders a pocket SEAD and time-sensitive strike option for contested littorals and urban environments.
Washington, D.C, Oct 16: During AUSA 2025, Israel Aerospace Industries displayed the Mini Harpy, a tactical loitering munition that blends an electro optic and infrared seeker with an anti radiation homing capability. The system resurfaced in Washington during AUSA 2025, a timely appearance as the U.S. Army and its allies reassess how to suppress air defenses and strike fleeting targets in contested airspace. The Mini Harpy is purpose built for that problem set, offering a dual seeker and man in the loop control in a compact, canister launched weapon.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
IAI Mini Harpy is a canister-launched 50 kg loitering munition with dual anti-radiation and EO/IR seeker, ~1-hour endurance, 100 km range and a precision 7 kg warhead for SEAD and armed ISR (Picture source: Army Recognition Group).
At the hardware level, the Mini Harpy is a 50-kilogram air vehicle powered by an electric motor for near silent flight. IAI’s product literature lists a one hour endurance, a 100-kilometer operating radius, a dash speed of roughly 200 knots, and a 7-kilogram warhead. Circular error probable is advertised at under one meter, and the weapon can be aborted and re attacked, a critical safety feature for complex urban or coalition operations. The effector is packaged in a sealed, single-use launch canister that can be mounted on light tactical trucks or naval craft, enabling units to carry a magazine of rounds without a large logistics footprint.
An anti-radiation channel enables passive homing on emitting radars for classic suppression of enemy air defenses. When the radar shuts down, a gimbaled EO/IR payload allows the operator to visually acquire and prosecute non-emitting targets, including vehicles, air defense launchers, and command posts. IAI describes automatic search and engagement for moving or stationary targets and states the system is meant to persist over the objective, quietly holding at altitude until a target of opportunity presents itself. Weather-tolerant operation and a man-in-the-loop firing chain are emphasized to reduce collateral risk and provide commander confidence in cluttered electromagnetic environments.
On the battlefield, Mini Harpy gives brigade and division commanders a pocket SEAD tool. From concealed canisters, teams can loft salvos that immediately sanitize a corridor by forcing hostile radars to shut down or be destroyed. If the air defense goes dark, the same round can transition to electro-optic targeting and hit the battery’s launchers or support vehicles. The combination of quiet propulsion, tight CEP, and abort capability makes it suitable for urban counter air defense hunts or time-sensitive strikes against high-value emitters. At sea, the canister architecture invites use from patrol craft for littoral denial and counter battery roles along the coast, where a passive seeker reduces the signature of the attack and complicates adversary warning timelines.
Loitering munitions have surged to the center of modern combined arms warfare, during the Ukraine war for example, pushing NATO members to scale buys and diversify suppliers. IAI has announced multiple agreements for long-range loitering munitions since 2023, including a contract with Estonia’s Centre for Defence Investment; photos accompanying those releases depict both Harop and Mini Harpy, though exact variants and quantities were not disclosed. In parallel, IAI notes new deals with two additional countries for systems from the family, again without naming the types, underscoring the sensitivity and demand in Europe’s rearmament cycle. Open source Israeli reporting adds that Mini Harpy has been tested operationally since 2019. While Israel and IAI have not publicly listed Mini Harpy operators, the pattern of European orders and Asia Pacific marketing suggests early fielding with undisclosed customers alongside established Harpy and Harop users in India and South Korea.
