India To Procure 50 Israeli Heron Drones Which Were Used In Balakot Air Strike As IAI Approves $500 Million Deal

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has approved a deal to sell 50 Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to India in a deal worth $500 million, reports Defence News.

The HERON is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) remotely piloted aerial system (RPAS) useful for strategic and tactical missions. Some of its main advantages include safe, reliable, & easy operation, two proven automatic taxi-takeoff and landing systems (ATOL), satellite communication for extended range (SATCOM), retractable landing gear and fully redundant avionics.

It is capable of operations of up to 52 hours' duration at up to 10.5 km (35,000 ft).

Apart from India, Israeli and Turkish Air Forces used these drones for high-altitude land surveillance and maritime patrol missions. Also, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) operates the Heron UAV in Afghanistan under Project Nankeen for surveillance, reconnaissance, security and battle damage assessment.

Indian Air Force (IAF) also used heron Drones in its pre-emptive strike on terrorist camps inside Pakistan on 26 February.

The Company

IAI is a global leader in the design, development, and manufacture of RPAS, with over 40 years' experience and 15,00,000 operational flight hours, performing intelligence gathering and targeting missions in support of critical military operations around the world.

Also Read: Fact Check: Did The HAL Build Mirage 2000 Fighters Used By IAF To Strike Terror Camps In Pakistan?