The Heron TP, Israel’s most advanced unmanned aerial vehicle, crashed on Sunday
morning during a test flight near the Tel Nof Air Force Base outside
Rehovot.
The Israel Air Force opened an investigation. According to
initial findings, the crash occurred after the UAV performed a maneuver beyond
its capabilities, causing one of its wings to break off. The aircraft was flying
with a new navigation component that, the IAF suspects, might have disrupted the
drone’s automatic flight systems.
The Heron TP is the largest UAV in the
IAF. It has a 26- meter wingspan – the same as a Boeing 737 – and can stay
airborne for up to 45 hours. It can carry a 1,000 kg. payload, making it capable
of conducting a wide variety of missions.
According to foreign reports,
it can also fire missiles, and in Israel it is often referred to as the UAV
“that can reach Iran.”
The flight on Sunday was overseen by Israel
Aerospace Industries and was held in conjunction with the IAF.
IAF
commander Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan said at a conference at the Fisher
Brothers Institute for Air And Space Strategic Studies in Herzliya that IAI was
testing a new technology on the drone when it crashed. The air force used UAVs
for 25 percent of its annual missions, he said.
In July, Israel Aerospace
Industries won a $500 million contract from France, which decided to buy the
Heron TP in the first export deal for the UAV. The deal is expected to lead to
additional contracts for IAI as other countries, such as Germany, upgrade their
UAV capabilities.
The air force established its first squadron of Heron
TPs in 2010 and has been learning how to operate the drone and writing the
appropriate operational doctrine. It had planned to declare the squadron
operational in the coming weeks and it is possible that the crash will delay the
move.
The IAF’s use of drones has dramatically increased in recent years
and they are used on all of Israel’s fronts – in Lebanon, along the Egyptian
border, in the Gaza Strip and off Israel’s coast to protect natural gas
installations.
Last year, the IAF decided to establish a new squadron
made up of Heron 1 and Hermes 900 UAVs, which according to foreign reports is
capable of firing missiles. Israel does not confirm that its UAVs have offensive
capabilities.
During the conference, Nehushtan warned that in face of the
growing military buildup in the region and budget cuts in Israel, Israel’s
aerial superiority was in danger.
He also warned of the possibility that
weapons in Syria would make their way to terrorists if and when the Assad regime
is toppled.
“2012 is a critical year since we could see significant,
strategic and unprecedented changes,” he said. “We need to implement a long-term
plan to retain our military edge and we need to invest in the future since if we
don’t we could find ourselves weakened.”