Warhead miniaturization for sub-5kg loitering munitions sacrifices lethality against hardened targets

Backpack-portable loitering munitions must weigh under 5kg total, leaving only 300-500g for a warhead after batteries, motor, guidance, and airframe. A 500g shaped-charge warhead penetrates only 30-50mm of steel, insufficient to defeat even lightly armored vehicles (BMPs have 30mm+ frontal armor). Operators must aim for top-attack profiles on hatches and engine decks, which requires terminal dive accuracy that cheap GPS/INS guidance cannot reliably achieve. This persists because physics constrains blast effects at small warhead sizes, and increasing warhead mass means heavier airframes that require crew-served launchers instead of individual soldier deployment.