The Islamic State is known to favor homemade drones to attack its enemies, but Iraqi soldiers are using the same tactics to take out the terrorist group.
The video below shows a group of Iraqi federal police preparing a drone with what appears to be standard hand grenades. The soldiers then turn the drone on, and let it lose on skies over Mosul. Seconds later, the drone’s pilot hovers the small machine over a building and lets loose the two grenades, which detonate in front of the entrance.
This is how weaponised “drones” (quadcopters) are equipped & deployed to bomb Da’ish targets in #Mosul by #Iraq‘s Federal Police. pic.twitter.com/YHlEvhm6sb
— Haidar Sumeri (@IraqiSecurity) March 12, 2017
Iraqi Security Forces have access to U.S. air support, which includes actual military drones such as the Reaper and Predator. While both platforms are highly capable, they are also expensive to operate. A quad-copter drone, such as the one featured in the video, can cost less than $500. Combined with a mortar shell or hand grenade, an off-the-shelf drone can be a formidable weapon that is particularly useful in Mosul’s dense urban areas.
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