Report: Monrovia-Made Spy Drones May Be Used as Bombers

A local technology firm's popular unmanned spy drone could eventually be used for bombing missions, according to a profile of the aircraft in The Economist magazine Monday.

, which is headquartered on Huntington Boulevard, produces the , a small hand-launched and video-equipped aircraft that can be controlled via remote by soldiers in the field.

The drone is popular with the military and more are being "rushed to Afghanistan," according to The Economist.

Currently only used for surveillance purposes, the military is looking at outfitting Ravens with the capability to drop bombs, The Economist reports.

"Future Ravens may be able to strike as well as scout," The Economist writes. "The American army has experimented with turning the drones into miniature bombers, capable of delivering grenade-sized weapons. Such bombs would be enough to destroy a small vehicle or take out the occupants of a particular room with high precision and little collateral damage."

Aerovironment has also produced a prototype for a bombing drone called the "Switchblade," The Economist reports.