IAI Heron
| IAI Heron | |
|---|---|
 IAI Heron at the start in El Salvador |
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| Type: | Reconnaissance drone |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
October 1994 |
The Heron ( English for heron ), called Machatz-1 ( Hebrew for heron ) by the Israeli Air Force , is an all-weather reconnaissance drone of the MALE class from the Israeli manufacturer Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) . In addition to the Israeli air force and the Bundeswehr, eight other states use the system. With over 50,000 flight hours from 2010 to the end of May 2019, the Heron1 is by far the most widely used drone in the Bundeswehr.
technology
The Heron is a 8.5 m long high- wing aircraft with very high aspect ratio wings and no arrowhead on the leading edge of the wing. The span is 16.6 m. Thanks to its high lift and low induced drag, this design enables a high duration of use and flight altitude at the expense of a high maximum speed. The machine is driven by a 115 horsepower (86 kW) four-cylinder gasoline engine of the type Rotax 914 of the manufacturer BRP-Powertrain . This drives a two-bladed propeller . This means that speeds between 60 and 115 kn (111 to 213 km / h) can be flown. The service ceiling is around 30,000 ft (9150 m). The rudder unit is designed twice. The chassis is a three-point chassis with single tires. The maximum take-off weight is 1150 kg. The standard service life of the Heron is 40 hours, with test flights even reaching 52 hours in May 1995. Overall, the Heron's performance data is roughly the same as that of the US RQ-1 Predator .
business
The Heron is basically capable of flying fully automatically, with GPS being used for navigation and a programmed route being flown. Offs and landings are made exclusively automatically while sitting in an up to 400 km from the earth station pilots (Air Vehicle Operator, AVO) only holds a monitoring function. In flight, the AVO can control the drone using a keyboard - there is neither a joystick nor sidesticks . The AVO does not control the drone directly, but via the alignment of the sensors. The system's electronics then calculate itself where the drone has to move to take the required viewing angle. The control commands are transmitted either via a direct radio link, which requires a line of sight, or via a satellite data link. The latter also enables use over very large distances or in hilly and mountainous terrain, in which a line of sight cannot always be guaranteed. Since the Heron is also used in civil airspace, the AVO must be in constant contact with air security. The AVO is supported by the payload operator (PO), who controls and uses the sensors and is in permanent contact with the operational users of the image material obtained. The ground stations for AVO and PO are not manufactured by IAI, but by Elbit Systems .
payload
The payload can vary depending on the user state and mission profile, but is severely limited by the weight limit of 250 kg. A normal payload, as it is also used by the Bundeswehr , comprises the following two systems: On the one hand, a synthetic aperture radar in the bulge under the fuselage, which enables the reconnaissance of larger objects such as vehicles, regardless of the weather and time of day. On the other hand, there is the gyro-stabilized and swiveling multi-mission Optronic Stabilized Payload (MOSP). This includes two TV cameras, one with a fixed focal length of 500 mm and a second with ten times optical zoom. These are supplemented by a forward-looking infrared sensor , which enables optical recordings even at night or in bad weather.
The entire image material obtained can be transmitted in real time via radio relay , if a line of sight is possible, and via satellite. This enables the images to be made available directly to the operational command in the local field camp, to the troops in action and to the high command in the home country, as required. The reception by the troops in action is ensured by laptop-like devices, while extensive terminals are available for the image evaluators in the base or in the home country. In addition to reconnaissance missions, the Heron can also act as a relay station for ground troops that do not have satellite communication terminals.
Armaments experts assume that the Heron will also be used by the Israeli air force in an armed version.
Eavesdropping security
According to the documents of the whistleblower Edward Snowden , the British secret service GCHQ and the American NSA recorded and analyzed data from the drone.
Further developments
Heron TP
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In June 2007 the first videos of a further developed version called Heron TP , which is called Eitan by the Israeli armed forces, reached the public . This version, powered by a 895 kW (1200 hp) turboprop engine, hence the addition TP, is significantly larger than the basic version with a wingspan of 26 m, a length of 13 m, a take-off weight of 4650 kg and a payload of 1000 kg. Depending on the source, the maximum duration of use is given as 20 to 36 hours. The first flight is said to have taken place on July 15, 2006 in Israel. So far, three Eitans have been built. On February 21, 2010, the first unmanned reconnaissance aircraft entered service with the Israeli Air Force .
Super Heron
In order to meet the demands of the Navy for longer flight times and greater range, IAI started the development of the enlarged Super Heron. With a mass of 1450 kg, the flight speed is 150 kts (278 km / h). A diesel engine from the Italian manufacturer Diesel Jet with 200 HP is planned as the drive.
Users
In mid-2009, the Heron, alongside the US RQ-1 Predator , was selected for the accelerated procurement of a reconnaissance drone for the immediate needs of the German Armed Forces in Afghanistan. The Bundeswehr decided to lease three Herons - which were designated Heron 1 in the Air Force - from the beginning of 2010 for 110 million euros for three years from a consortium (consisting of Rheinmetall and IAI). After that, all three aircraft should be returned to the manufacturer. The three-year leasing contract would have expired on October 31, 2012, but was repeatedly extended, most recently until October 2014. Most recently, the Heron 1 leasing contract was extended until April 30, 2015.
All three UAVs are assigned to the reconnaissance wing 51 "Immelmann" (AG 51) . After the first drone was relocated to Afghanistan in February 2010, it was successfully deployed on March 18, 2010 by the Mazar-e Sharif squadron as part of the ISAF mission. After landing at Mazar-e Sharif airport, the Heron collided with a parked Transall C-160 while taxiing to the parking position after the drone suddenly accelerated. In the accident, the Heron 1 was destroyed and the Transall was slightly damaged. Due to the procurement as a leasing business, the industry is obliged to replace the damaged UAV. The first flight of the second drone took place on April 29, 2010 and by September of the same year the fleet of three devices should have completely arrived in Mazar-e Sharif . Due to a suspected engine failure, a Heron 1 crashed on December 19, 2010 and was deliberately destroyed after a rescue attempt by an American helicopter had failed.
In January 2011, the Heron 1 was controlled via satellite for the first time as the system gradually expanded - the Synthetic Aperture Radar was also not available from the start. This enabled the operating radius to be significantly expanded and the full range of capabilities of the drone to be used. After the satellite capability had been obtained, the preliminary readiness of the system was declared on February 18, 2011. At the beginning of June of the same year, a total of 4000 flight hours were achieved on over 400 days of use. At the end of July 2012, she reached the mark of 10,000 flight hours with over 890 missions over Afghanistan. A few weeks earlier, the leasing contract for EUR 75 million was extended by two years until October 2014. At the end of 2015, the 25,000 flight hour was reached in Afghanistan.
The training of the staff for the Heron 1, which lasts around ten weeks, has been carried out in Israel by IAI since the end of 2009, as the Bundeswehr only has the operational machines stationed in Afghanistan. The training consists of a theoretical phase, a subsequent flight simulator phase and finally 15 flights with the Heron in Israeli airspace. The first course began at the end of 2009. Only trained pilots are used as AVO, while aerial photo evaluators are mainly recruited from AG 51 as POs. Soldiers with other prior uses can also complete training to become a PO. Maintenance, like preparation and follow-up, is carried out by technicians from the industry and not by the Air Force itself.
The application spectrum of the Heron 1 and Panavia Tornados with RECCE or RECCE-Lite pods , which were sometimes used in parallel in Afghanistan, did not overlap. The Heron 1 are used exclusively in the armed forces' area for direct support of the ground troops with current aerial photographs and for monitoring certain hot spots, for which they are well suited due to their long service life and the possibility of image transmission in real time. The fast tornadoes, on the other hand, were used throughout Afghanistan, among other things, for the preparation and follow-up of major ground operations.
At the end of 2012, the then Federal Minister of the Interior, Hans-Peter Friedrich , called for Heron-1 drones to be used on the coasts for purposes of sea rescue , crime and immigration in close cooperation with the coast guard and sea rescue. Critics expressed the fear that this could be the breach of the dam for the use of drones inland and for permanent surveillance that this makes possible. The decision to buy combat drones should only be made after the 2013 federal election on September 22, 2013.
On November 9, 2013, the German Armed Forces announced that a Heron machine had crashed on November 8, 2013 in the Afghan province of Badachschan . According to the Bundeswehr, there were connection errors between the drone and the ground station in Mazar-e-Sharif, which is why the aircraft crashed into a mountain due to a programming error and crashed. Since the drone could not be recovered from the difficult to access crash site, the remains were destroyed.
Leased Heron 1s will also be used again for the Federal Armed Forces mission in Mali ( MINUSMA ) in the period from 2016 to 2018. At the same time, it became known that the larger Heron TP model would be procured until a separate European drone is available to bridge the gap. The American competitor of the Israeli drone, General Atomics, which produces, among other things, the MQ-1 and MQ-9 drones , had filed an appeal against this decision pro Heron TP, the suspensive effect of which was initially confirmed by the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court in September 2016, so that Contract between the Bundeswehr and IAI / Airbus could not come into force. In May 2017, the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court dismissed General Atomics' complaint and allowed the Heron TP drones to be purchased. In the meantime, the SPD had registered new reservations about the rental planned by the Defense Ministry; the acquisition was not discussed sufficiently and warfare by drones was associated with excessive civilian damage .
On June 13, 2018, the budget committee of the German Bundestag decided to rent five IAI Eitan Heron TP , which will be serviced by Airbus. The lease runs until 2027 and will cost at least 900 million euros. The machines will initially be used as reconnaissance drones, but they have the option of being armed and used as combat drones.
The Australian Defense Force operated two leased Herons until mid-2017. They used them between January 2010 and November 2015 to support their Afghanistan mission. They then flew from Woomera for a year and a half for training and exercise purposes .
The Brazilian Air Force and Brazilian Police are using two Heron 1s for ISR tasks, particularly in the Amazon basin and fighting crime.
France acquired four aircraft under the project name Système Intérimaire de Drone MALE (SIDM) . The cells were produced by IAI, but the electronics by EADS and adapted to the needs of the Armée de l'air . With EADS Harfang, the drones were given a completely independent name and were also used in Afghanistan at the time. The home base was from 2009 to 2014 the base 709 Cognac , where they were operated by the Escadron Drones 1/33 (ED 1/33) "Belfort". They have been replaced by MQ-9 .
India has procured about 50 herons. These are mainly used to secure the border with Pakistan and to monitor their own coastal strips.
The first operator of the Heron was the Israeli Armed Forces , which officially put the first Heron - called Machatz-1 - into service in 2007 . How many machines were procured is not officially known, but the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University puts the number of machines in 2010 at eight. In February 2010, the first Heron TP was also put into service under the name Eitan .
Machatz-1 drones were used during Operation Cast Lead . Together with the less powerful drones of the Elbit Hermes 450 type , combat helicopters of the AH-64 Apache type and combat aircraft, these were placed directly under the command of the ground forces brigade for the first time. This should improve the interaction between air and ground forces, which in turn allows the troops on the ground a better picture of the situation and, if necessary, faster air strikes.
On January 29, 2012, the Heron TP Eitan crashed near a base south of Tel Aviv . The reason for this was the breaking off of a wing during the flight.
The Canadian Armed Forces also had three leased Herons on duty in Afghanistan, which have since been returned. Canada only participates in the training of Afghan security forces.
Singapore operates a Heron 1 relay.
In 2004, Turkey signed a purchase contract for ten Herons for 180 million US dollars, whereby the drones should be equipped with an electro-optical reconnaissance pod from the Turkish manufacturer Aselsan . The delivery should take place between August and October 2009, which IAI was unable to do - according to its own statements, due to the equipment of the significantly heavier Aselsan pod. By the contractually fixed date in October 2009, IAI was only able to deliver two machines which, according to Turkish information, did not meet the contract specifications and both crashed as part of the test program. In August 2010, IAI was finally able to deliver the last four machines to the Turkish Air Force.
In May 2009, the United States deployed two Herons from Comalapa Air Base in El Salvador for anti-drug reconnaissance flights as part of the Monitoreo project .
In December 2018, IAI sold three Heron 1 drones to Vietnam. The sale amount is $ 160 million.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Heron / Machatz-1 / Heron 1 | Eitan (Heron TP) |
|---|---|---|
| length | 8.5 m | 14 m |
| span | 16.6 m | 26 m |
| height | 2.3 m | |
| maximum take-off mass | 1150 kg | 4650 kg |
| Payload | 250 kg | 1000 kg |
| speed | between 60 and 115 kn (111 to 213 km / h) | k. A. |
| Maximum altitude | 9,150 m | 12,500 m |
| Maximum flight time | > 24 h | > 36 h |
| Drive type | 1 four-cylinder four-stroke engine with turbocharger and 86 kW (115 PS ) | 1 turboprop with 900 kW (1200 PS) |
| Drive model | BRP-Powertrain Rotax 914 | Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 |
Web links
- The deployment of Heron in Afghanistan. In: Europäische-Sicherheit.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Kenneth Munson: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Directory - Part 1 . In: AIR International July 1997, p. 45
- ↑ DroneWatch: The overview of the Bundeswehr drones (with correction) - eyes straight ahead! Retrieved June 9, 2020 .
- ↑ Markus Becker: Arming the Bundeswehr: EADS promises combat drones within a year. In: spiegel.de. Spiegel-Verlag Rudolf Augstein, January 25, 2013, accessed on August 29, 2015 .
- ^ Report: Great Britain and the USA tapped Israeli drones. In: sueddeutsche.de . January 29, 2016, accessed October 13, 2018 .
- ↑ Heron TP goes into service . In: Flug-Revue . April 2010, ISSN 0015-4547 , p. 17 .
- ↑ Beth Stevenson: Super Heron production contract expected next year. In: flightglobal.com. Retrieved November 11, 2014 .
- ↑ Singapore Airshow 2014: IAI unveils new Super Heron HF UAV. (No longer available online.) In: janes.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014 ; accessed on November 11, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Why “Heron 1” won In: Handelsblatt . June 21, 2009. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
- ↑ Combat drone topic in the Federal Press Conference ( memento from June 6, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Panorama from July 31, 2012.
- ^ German Bundestag: Written questions of April 8, 2013. Bundestag printed paper 17/13046, p. 57 (PDF; 3.7 MB).
- ↑ T. Wiegold: DroneWatch: lease agreement for Heron drones extended. In: augengeradeaus.net , January 10, 2014.
- ↑ Heron 1 for Afghanistan . In: Flug-Revue . April 2010, ISSN 0015-4547 , p. 17 .
- ^ German Heron UAV damaged in ground collision. In: flightglobal.com (English).
- ↑ Air Force. In: bundeswehr.de , March 17, 2010.
- ^ Bundeswehr breakdown: million dollar drone crashes into transport machine. In: spiegel.de .
- ↑ Heron approaching. In: luftwaffe.de .
- ↑ Awareness of Afghanistan. In: luftwaffe.de .
- ↑ Bundestag printed paper 17/5322 of April 1, 2011; Written questions with the answers received from the Federal Government in the week of March 28, 2011; P. 32 f. (PDF; 447 kB).
- ↑ New status: equipment for use in Afghanistan. In: bundeswehr.de .
- ↑ Air Force: Heron reaches the 4,000th flight hour. In: Flugrevue.de .
- ↑ Heron 1: 10,000 flight hours over Afghanistan . In: Flugrevue.de . Flugrevue. July 30, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ↑ Air Force: Heron 1 flies longer in Afghanistan . In: Flugrevue.de . Flugrevue. July 13, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ↑ http://www.flugrevue.de/militaerluftfahrt/uav/heron-1-der-luftwaffe-erreich-25000-flug hours-in- afghanistan/ 657240 Heron 1 reaches 25,000 flight hours
- ^ Training on the Heron 1. In: luftwaffe.de
- ↑ The Heron Mission in Afghanistan. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Europäische-Sicherheit.de .
- ↑ Always and everywhere present - the Heron 1 in action. In: luftwaffe.de .
- ↑ Heron reaches 4,000th flight hour. In: luftwaffe.de .
- ↑ On the control of the coasts: Israeli drones will soon be flying over Germany. In: focus.de . December 28, 2012, accessed August 29, 2015.
- ↑ Constanze Kurz: From the engine room: Drones over Lake Constance? In: faz.net . January 4, 2013, accessed August 29, 2015.
- ↑ De Maizière postpones his drone plans. , Bundeswehr is negotiating with Israel about combat drones. In: spiegel.de April 10, 2013.
- ↑ Northern Afghanistan: Crash of a German Heron reconnaissance drone. In: bundeswehr.de . November 9, 2013, accessed August 29, 2015.
- ↑ http://www.bundeswehr-journal.de/2016/betreibervertrag-drohne-heron-1-fuer-den-mali- Einsatz/ Heron 1 for Malieinsatz
- ↑ Christian Thiels: Court brakes from the Leyens drone deal. In: Tagesschau. September 16, 2016, accessed September 16, 2016 .
- ↑ According to the judgment, the Bundeswehr is allowed to procure Israeli combat drones. In: de.reuters.com. May 31, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2017 .
- ↑ Martin Schulz: Investing in peace - not in weapons. In: spiegel.de. May 25, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2017 .
- ↑ Bundestag approves move to Jordan. In: tagesschau.de. July 9, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2017 .
- ↑ Reuters : For a billion euros: the Bundeswehr gets combat drones. In: Berliner Morgenpost . June 13, 2018, accessed June 16, 2018 .
- ↑ Australia retires Heron 1 UAVs, Janes, August 8, 2017 ( Memento of the original from August 13, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Brazil to resume operations with Heron 1 UAVs First F-35B Fighter Jets Arrive in Japan, Janes, January 15, 2019
- ↑ Israel Sells Heron UAVs to India ( English ) In: defenseindustrydaily.com . April 4, 2011. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- ^ Equipment for the Israeli armed forces. (PDF) In: inss.org.il. The Institute for National Security Studies, September 20, 2010, archived from the original April 30, 2011 ; accessed on August 29, 2015 .
- ^ New Tactics Yield Solid Victory in Gaza. In: aviationweek.com (English)
- ↑ Interview with Maj. Gen. Ido Nehushtan. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: defensenwes.com (English).
- ^ Israeli Heron TP Crashes in Flight Test. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: defensenwes.com . January 30, 2012, accessed August 29, 2015.
- ↑ Singapore's Heron 1 achieves FOC ( English ) flightglobal.com. March 16, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
- ^ Controversy over Palestinian politics: Turks move away from alliance partner Israel. In: Spiegel-Online , October 18, 2009.
- ↑ Israel delivers remaining Heron UAVs to Turkey. ( Memento of the original from August 22, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Today's Zaman , August 21, 2010.
- ↑ Heron sees the frontline El Salvador anti-drugs fight. In: flightglobal.com (English).
- ↑ Israel sells drones to Vietnam. In: Israelnetz .de. December 10, 2018, accessed December 28, 2018 .
- ^ IAI Heron on the manufacturer's site
- ↑ Müller, C. (2006). Aircraft of the World 2006 , pp. 206–207. Zurich: Verlag Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
- ↑ Data and facts. (PDF) German Air Force, April 22, 2010, accessed February 7, 2011 (2.36 MB).
- ↑ http://www.iai.co.il/2013/18900-37204-en/BusinessAreas_UnmannedAirSystems_HeronFamily.aspx
