Heron
IAI Heron 1 UAV in flight
Role Unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicle
National origin Israel
Manufacturer Israel Aerospace Industries
First flight 1994
Introduction 2005
Status Active, in production
Primary users Israeli Defence Force
Indian Air Force
Brazilian Federal Police
Turkish Air Force
Variants EADS Harfang
IAI Eitan
Avionics Services Caçador
IAI Heron on display at the Paris Air Show 2009
IAI Super Heron at an Air Show to commemorate 40 years of UAVs in Israel
Controlling the UAV for experimental purposes at the Fallon Naval Air Station

The IAI Heron (Machatz-1) is a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by the Malat (UAV) division of Israel Aerospace Industries. It is capable of Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) operations of up to 52 hours' duration at up to 10.5 km (35,000 ft). It has demonstrated 52 hours of continuous flight, but the effective operational maximal flight duration is less, according to payload and flight profile. An advanced version, the Heron TP, is also known as the IAI Eitan.

On 11 September 2005, it was announced that the Israel Defense Forces purchased US$50 million worth of Heron systems.[1]

Design and development

The Heron navigates using an internal GPS navigation device, and either a pre-programmed flight profile (in which case the system is fully autonomous from takeoff to landing), manual override from a ground control station, or a combination of both. It can autonomously return to base and land in case of lost communication with the ground station. The system has fully automatic launch and recovery (ALR) and all-weather capabilities.

The Heron can carry an array of sensors, including thermographic camera (infrared) and visible-light airborne ground surveillance, intelligence systems (COMINT and ELINT) and various radar systems, totaling up to 250 kg (550 lb). The Heron is also capable of target acquisition and artillery adjustment.

The payload sensors communicate with the ground control station in real time, using either direct line of sight data link, or via an airborne/satellite relay. Like the navigation system, the payload can also be used in either a fully pre-programmed autonomous mode, or manual real-time remote operation, or a combination of both.

Super Heron

At the February 2014 Singapore Air Show, IAI unveiled the Super Heron refinement of the Heron UAS. The Super Heron has a 200-horsepower diesel engine[2] that increases its rate of climb and performance. Its range is 250 km (160 mi) line-of-sight and 1,000 km (620 mi) by satellite control. Endurance is 45 hours at a maximum altitude of 30,000 ft (9,100 m). Cruising speed is 60 to 80 kn (110 to 150 km/h; 69 to 92 mph) and top speed over 150 kn (280 km/h; 170 mph).[3]

Operational history

The Heron saw significant use during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza of 2008–2009. During the deployment, each brigade combat team was assigned a UAV squadron for close support. This was the first Israeli operation in which UAVs, helicopters, and fighter jets were allocated to ground forces directly without IAF central command authorizing sorties. Air-support controller teams operated alongside brigade commanders at the front emphasizing the brigade commander's utilization of direct air assets.[4] A high degree of situational awareness was achieved by maintaining at least a dozen UAVs in flight over Gaza at all times. Aerial surveillance was provided by Heron and Hermes 450 UAVs and Apache attack helicopters. Along with coordination between the air force and ground troops, Israeli ground forces were able to utilize cooperation with the Israel Security Agency by having operatives attached to the forward units. This inter-service coordination allowed for a higher level of tactical awareness and the ability to strike time-critical targets.[5]

Other countries operating the Heron include Singapore, India and Turkey.[6] France operates a derivative of Heron named Eagle or Harfang.[7] In 2008, Canada announced a plan to lease a Heron for use in Afghanistan, starting in 2009.[8] In mid-2009, Australia leased two Herons as part of a multimillion-dollar lease to operate the vehicles in Afghanistan.[9] In early July 2013, the Heron reached 15,000 flight hours over Afghanistan.[10] Australia concluded its use of the Heron in support of Operation Slipper in Afghanistan on 30 November 2014, after it had accumulated 27,000 flight hours.[11] Royal Australian Air Force retired two Herons in June 2017.[12]

Beginning in 2021, Malta-based Herons have been used by Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, to monitor migrant activity in the southern Mediterranean Sea. This activity drew controversy when it was announced that the data gathered would be shared with countries including Libya and Tunisia. The concern was that the data could be used to force irregular migrants back to their point of departure, denying them the opportunity to seek asylum in other countries.[13]

Heron variants

  • Turkey operates a special variant of the Heron, which utilizes Turkish-designed and manufactured electro-optical subsystems. For example, the Turkish Herons use the ASELFLIR-300T airborne thermal Imaging and targeting system designed and manufactured by ASELSAN of Turkey. The Turkish Herons also have stronger engines in order to compensate for the added payload created by the heavier ASELFLIR-300T. This is the same FLIR system currently used in the TAI/AgustaWestland T129 attack helicopter[14] and also the TAI Anka MALE UAV. IAI staff maintain that the Turkish Heron's "with its enhanced performance, is better than all existing Heron UAVs operating worldwide".[15] Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) provides maintenance and overhaul services for its Herons.[16]
  • EADS Harfang – variant operated by France

Operators

All exports of the IAI Heron are unarmed.[17]

Map with military IAI Heron UAV operators in blue, with former operators in red
Royal Australian Air Force Heron RPA

 Azerbaijan

 Brazil

 Canada

 Ecuador

 European Union

 Germany

  • German Air Force – 3, including 2 ground stations on an initial one-year lease starting since 2010, with 2-3 more being planned.[25] Will be replaced by the Eurodrone

 Greece

 India

 Israel

 South Korea

 Malta

 Morocco

 Singapore[35][36]

 Turkey

 United States

 Vietnam

Former operators

 Australia

Specifications

Data from Heron/Shoval/Eitan[38]

General characteristics

  • Capacity: 250 kg (551 lb)
  • Length: 8.5 m (27 ft 11 in)
  • Wingspan: 16.6 m (54 ft 6 in)
  • Airfoil: IAI SA-21[39]
  • Max takeoff weight: 1,150 kg (2,535 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 916 4-cylinder air and water cooled horizontally-opposed piston engine, 160 kW (210 hp)
  • Propellers: 3-bladed pusher propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 207 km/h (129 mph, 112 kn)
  • Endurance: 52 hours[40]
  • Service ceiling: 10,000 m (33,000 ft)
  • Rate of climb: 2.5 m/s (490 ft/min)
  • Wing loading: 89 kg/m2 (18 lb/sq ft)

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

References

  1. ↑ "Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. – Home page". Iai.co.il. Archived from the original on 16 December 2005. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  2. ↑ "Israeli company unveils new Super Heron drone". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  3. ↑ IAI Unveils Super Heron Heavy Fuel Unmanned Aerial System Archived 22 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine – Deagel.com, 11 February 2014
  4. ↑ Opall-Rome, Barbara (8 March 2009). "Maj. Gen. Ido Nehushtan". DefenceNews. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
  5. ↑ Eshel, David (11 May 2009). "New Tactics Yield Solid Victory in Gaza". Aviation Week. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  6. ↑ "Heron MALE System". Defense-update.com. 21 September 2005. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  7. ↑ "Eagle MALE System". Defense-update.com. 11 September 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  8. ↑ "Canadian military acquiring new helicopters, drones". CBC News. 7 August 2008. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  9. ↑ "Capital Circle". Theaustralian.news.com.au. Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  10. ↑ Heron Logs 15,000 Flight Hours In Afghanistan Archived 11 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine – sUASNews.com, 22 July 2013
  11. ↑ PICTURES: RAAF Heron flies at Amberley alongside manned aircraft Archived 26 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine – Flightglobal.com, 13 April 2016
  12. 1 2 "End of an era, as our Heron departs" (Press release). Royal Australian Air Force. 8 August 2017. Archived from the original on 9 August 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  13. ↑ "Migrant drone surveillance from Malta: MEP questions information-sharing with 'pull-back' countries".
  14. ↑ Archived 20 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ↑ "Turkey stymied by problems with Israeli Heron UAVs". www.sundayszaman.com. Archived from the original on 22 May 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  16. ↑ "WORLD – 'One project still in progress with Israel'". Hurriyetdailynews.com. 4 November 2011. Archived from the original on 7 November 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  17. ↑ "Armed Drones in the Middle East - Israel". Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). 2018. Archived from the original on 13 February 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  18. ↑ "List of ammunition purchased by Azerbaijan made public". News.Az. 27 March 2012. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  19. 1 2 Barreira, Victor (15 January 2019). "Brazil to resume operations with Heron 1 UAVs". Jane's 360. Rio de Janeiro. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  20. ↑ Defesanet (August 2009). "Exitosa Demonstração do VANT Heron no Brasil". Archived from the original on 2 November 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
  21. ↑ Meranda, Amnon (November 2009). "Israel to supply Brazil with drones as part of $350M deal". Ynetnews. Archived from the original on 15 November 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2009.
  22. ↑ COPA Flight 8 (June 2009). "Canadian Forces Briefing on UAVs". Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ↑ Armada del Ecuador – ARMADA PRESENTÓ SU AVIONES NO TRIPULADOS –UAV- Archived 30 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine (Spanish)
  24. ↑ "Le Heron 1 de FRONTEX s'installe à Malte". Air et Cosmos. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  25. ↑ "Mehr als 100 Milliarden Euro für die Bundeswehr – für unsere Sicherheit". www.bmvg.de/. BmVg. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  26. ↑ ""Έκλεισε" η συμφωνία για δύο ισραηλινά UAV "HERON" - Θα επιχειρούν από την Κρήτη (in Greek)". Pro news. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  27. ↑ "Στη βάση των UAV Heron στη Σκύρο o Aρχηγός ΓΕΕΘΑ (in Greek)". in.gr. 20 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  28. ↑ "Έναρξη πτήσεων Μη Επανδρωμένου Αεροσκάφους που διατέθηκε από τον Οργανισμό FRONTEX στο πλαίσιο βελτίωσης των επιχειρησιακών δυνατοτήτων του Λ.Σ. – ΕΛ.ΑΚΤ". www.hcg.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  29. ↑ "Defence Industry Daily: Israel sells heron UAVs to India and Australia". Strategypage.com. 11 November 2005. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  30. ↑ "Indian Navy commissions first UAV squadron". Us.rediff.com. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  31. ↑ "Eye in the sky to guard Gujarat coast". The Times of India. 18 January 2011. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  32. ↑ "Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. – Home page". Iai.co.il. Archived from the original on 24 April 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  33. ↑ Seoul is buying US and Israeli drones Archived 26 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine – Defense-Update.com, 17 December 2014
  34. ↑ Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost. "Operating From The Shadows: Morocco's UAV Fleet". Oryx Blog. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  35. ↑ "News – Fact Sheet: Heron 1 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) (02 Mar 11)". MINDEF. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  36. ↑ "Singapore Inaugurates Heron 1 UAV". Flightglobal.com. 24 May 2012. Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  37. ↑ "PARIS AIR SHOW: Heron sees frontline El Salvador anti-drugs fight". Flightglobal.com. 15 June 2009. Archived from the original on 25 February 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  38. ↑ "Heron/Shoval/Eitan". Israeli-weapons.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  39. ↑ Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  40. ↑ "UAVs at the Forefront of Future Warfare". Airforce Technology. 5 October 2009. Archived from the original on 30 August 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
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