The US Army will deploy unmanned ‘kamikaze’ drones to help identify suspected militants in combat-stricken areas.

The drones, also known as Switchblade, are man-portable tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) designed to provide soldiers with real-time aerial imagery in the battlefield.

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The miniature drone can be fired using a launch tube or its electric motor to the target area to capture and relay the imagery back to the troops for target identification.

Once the target is confirmed, the Switchblade’s explosive charge can be armed and sent to the human target for elimination, according to Agence France-Presse.

The army had awarded a $4.9m contract to Aerovironment for the first fleet of Switchblades earlier this year.

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