Locally Made 'Kamikaze' Drones Headed to Afghanistan

Following a successful test run of the locally developed "Switchblade" aircraft, the U.S. Army will officially deploy 50 of the "kamikaze" drones for use in combat in Afghanistan, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

The drones, which were invented and manufactured by Monrovia's , act as remote-controlled explosive devices that can be flown and detonated directly into targets.

The Army is considering the purchase of $100 million worth of "Switchblade" drones, the Times reports. The weapon is not without its detractors, however.

Naureen Shah, the associate director of the Counterterrorism and Human Rights Project at Columbia Law School, told the Times that the Switchblade could allow soldiers on the ground to decide whether to use lethal drones instead of the usual group of lawyers and military personnel who sign off on drone strikes.

"It delegates full responsibility to a lower-level soldier on the ground," she told the Times. "That delegation is worrisome. It's a situation that could end up in more mistakes being made."