Vyčkávací munice v soudobých konfliktech

Loitering munition has received renewed interest in the last years. Due to its proliferation and extensive use in contemporary armed conflicts, new phenomenon emerged with wide-spread discussions of what it can bring to present and future armed forces. The article aims to characterize the key attributes which distinguish this asset from both traditional unmanned aerial vehicles and guided missiles. Then, the performance of different types of loitering munition is discussed in specific operational conditions of two contemporary conflicts of high intensity – in the Nagorno-Karabakh War of 2020 and during the Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022-23). Based on that, the article claims that loitering munition, among other assets, contributes to the trend of democratization of air power in contested environment. Finally, the issue of counter-UAS with the focus on loitering munition specifically is identified as one of the critical challenges for the development of force protection capabilities.