--- title: "The Maker of AK-47 Rifles Just Unveiled a “Suicide Drone”" description: "## Suicide Drone" date: "2019-02-25" modified: "2019-02-25" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/kalashnikov-suicide-drone-kyb-uav" categories: - "Drones" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "dornes" - "kalashnikov" - "Russia" - "weapons" --- # The Maker of AK-47 Rifles Just Unveiled a “Suicide Drone” ![Russian weapons manufacturer Kalashnikov has unveiled a tiny, uncrewed drone that's meant to destroy remote ground targets from 40 miles away.]() *\Image: Kalashnikov\* ## Suicide Drone Russian weapons manufacturer Kalashnikov, maker of the ubiquitous AK-47 assault rifle, [has unveiled]() a tiny drone that's meant to destroy remote ground targets from a distance of up to 40 miles (64 km) away — by blowing itself up like a suicide bomber. The "high-precision attack unmanned aerial system" dubbed KUB-UAV in a press release, was revealed earlier this month at the International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX), a major defense exhibition in the United Arab Emirates — and it could foretell the terrifying future of warfare. "This is a very accurate and most effective weapon that is very difficult to fight with using traditional air defense systems," said Sergey Chemezov, CEO of Kalashnikov's state-owned parent company Rostec, in the press release as interpreted by Google Translate. https://youtu.be/fwAiKJEhtWo ## Silent Predator The drone can reach speeds of up to 80 mph (130 km/h) and stay in the air for up to 30 minutes. The system could give troops on the ground a number of major advantages: the KUB-UAV is almost completely silent, and can carry up to 6.6 pounds (3 kg) of explosives. The drone will also be sold at a relatively low price. To some, that means a new era of warfare. "I think of it as democratizing smart bombs," Nicholas Grossman, a professor of international relations at the University of Illinois, [told the *Washington Post*](). ## Death From Above The concept is also a big deal because of Kalashnikov's stature in the world of military weaponry: its iconic AK-47 has been around since 1949 and is still in active use across the world today. It's not the first time the idea has cropped up. The Islamic State has been attaching explosives to commercial drones for a [number of years]() now. In one instance, dozens of drones equipped with explosives and GPS attacked Russian troops in Syria [last year](). How Kalashnikov's new suicide drone will fit into the rules of conventional warfare remains unclear. **READ MORE:** [The Kalashnikov assault rifle changed the world. Now there’s a Kalashnikov kamikaze drone.]() \[*Washington Post*\] ***More on drone warfare: [New Warfare Drones are Small as a Quadcopter]()*** ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()