German Heron TP UAV has completed its first successful flight in Israel ahead of its delivery to the German army, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) said in a statement.
It said the UAV was modified according to the needs and requirements of the German Ministry of Defense as part of a joint program between UAV Executive Office in the Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D), of the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMoD), Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and Airbus DS Airborne Solutions, an Airbus Group company.
“IAI is pleased to mark this important milestone in the Heron TP project for Germany. We thank our partners in the Ministry of Defense and Airbus Group, for their cooperation in this project – a result of which we are going to provide the German Air Force with a system tailored to its operational needs and requirements,” Moshe Levy, IAI Executive VP and GM of the Military Aircraft Group said.
Germany and Israel signed an agreement in 2018 for the lease of a number of UAVs as well as the maintenance and training services. Israeli drone specialists will also train German Air Force personnel in an IAF base in central Israel.
IAI said the German Heron TP UAV is a medium-altitude, long-endurance, and multi-mission aircraft with a variety of payloads. It is based on the Israeli “Eitan” UAV, which is in operational use in the Israel Air Force.
