Anantnag: Indian Army using Heron drones for anti-terror Ops, What are the Heron drones?

As the Anti-Terror Ops in Anantnag entered its fifth day, the Indian Army is now using the Israeli-made lethal Heron drones equipped with long-range missiles and other weapon systems.

These drones are very useful for the Indian Armed Forces and have proven to be lethal and helpful to them. These drones are helping the armed forces hunt the terrorists who are responsible for the deadly attack on the Indian Forces.

All about the Heron mark drones of the Indian Army

The IAI Heron is a medium altitude long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which is developed by the Malat (UAV) division of the Israeli Aerospace Industries. It is capable of medium altitude long endurance operations of up to 52 hours duration at up to 10.5 KM. It has demonstrated 52 hours of continuous flight.

The Heron navigates using an internal GPS device, and either a pre-programmed flight profile, manual override from a ground control system, or a combination of both. It can automatically return to base and land in case of lost communication with the ground centre. The system has fully automatic launch and recovery and all-weather capabilities.

The Heron can carry an array of sensors, including a thermographic camera, visible light airborne ground surveillance, intelligence systems (COMINT and ELINT) and various Radar systems totalling up to 250 KG. The Heron is also capable of target acquisition and artillery adjustment. The payload sensors communicate with the ground control system in real-time, using either a direct line of sight data link or via an airborne/satellite relay.

Like the navigation system of the drone, the payload can also be used in a fully pre-programmed autonomous mode, manual real-time remote operation or a combination of both. The Heron has a capacity of 250 Kg, with length of 8.5m, it has a wingspan of 16.6m with a maximum weight of 1,150 KG. It has a three-blade pusher propeller and one powerplant with Rotax 914 4-cylinder air and water-cooled horizontally opposed piston engine with 86 Kw power or 115 Hp.

The drone can move at a maximum speed of 207 KM/hr with an endurance of 52 hours, a 10,000m service ceiling, and 2.5m/s rate of climb and 89 kg.m square. Apart from India and Israel, countries like Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, the European Union, Germany, Greece, South Korea, the United States, Turkey, Vietnam, Australia and much more use these drones in their respective militaries.