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Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israel Unveils Newest Unmanned Aircraft
2007-03-08
PALMACHIM AIR FORCE BASE, Israel (AP) - The Israeli air force unveiled its newest unmanned aircraft Wednesday, saying the plane can fly longer, faster and higher than any other surveillance aircraft. The drone, called the Heron, already saw combat during last summer's war in Lebanon, where Israeli officials said a prototype performed well, seeking out Hezbollah arms and directing airstrikes.

The Heron has a 54-foot wingspan and can fly up to 30 hours at a speed of 140 mph and a height of 30,000 feet. That would give it a range of 4,200 miles and the potential to reach as far as Iran, considered Israel's most serious strategic threat because of its nuclear program and its president's calls to wipe Israel off the map.
Gee, it can fly to Iran, wotta coincidence.
Air force officers said the Heron was Israel's most advanced weapon in the booming field of drone technology. Israel has used drones since the early 1970s, and its fleet has steadily increased. Air force officials say drones have become such an integral part of Israel's air power in recent years that their flight hours now outnumber those of manned fighter planes.
Posted by:Steve White

#12  OP: I believe that the Border Patrol is using UAVS on the southern borders as well as Aerostats, fancy names for blimps that are primarily involved with anti-drup operations, but are still available for illegal interdiction.
Posted by: USN, ret.   2007-03-08 22:56  

#11  I'd like the US to use the Global Hawk and Predator Mk 2 in the US, guarding the borders. Can you imagine the surprise when a group of illegals cross the border, then get covered with a bright fluorescent orange paint from a low-flying drone? That way, you can either round them up or shoot 'em without a lot of problems. Think that would slow down the infiltration?
Posted by: Old Patriot   2007-03-08 18:45  

#10  Anonymoose, what the article doesn't mention is that Herons over Gaza (sounds like a movie title, ain't it?) come equipped with the hair rays projector.
Posted by: gromgoru   2007-03-08 13:57  

#9  BrerRabbit: An artillery FO with good eyes can call in a heck of a lot more hurt than a Maverick. But each have their purpose. Me, I like the price of a 105mm or 155mm HE round.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2007-03-08 13:04  

#8  The Specs given sound much like the U-2 that russia finaly shot down, A high slow glider, but unmanned this go-round.
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2007-03-08 12:18  

#7  For example, it could detect people on the ground and determine whether they were militants or civilians.

The moment they bow towards Mecca, the Heron flags them as "militants".
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2007-03-08 11:41  

#6  Good PR

Yelahanka (Bangalore), Feb 10 (ANI)
After the initial induction of eight Searchers and four Herons, the expansion plans of the Indian Navy seem to be on course.
The Heron deal with Israel was signed in January 2006, and the acquired machines, 16 of them, eight each for the 14 and 15 Corps, will be fully functional by the middle of this year. The birds in the Srinagar-based 15 Corps will operate from Manasbal and the Avantipore-based Victor Force. In Leh, the Herons will operate from an IAF runway. Some of the UAVs will also be deployed in the Western sector, and will operate from IAF runways. The Searcher Mach-IIs are now stationed in the Bhatinda-based 10 corps, which finds it difficult to operate from the Bikaner based Mahajan Field Firing Range, owing to the long distances.

The Herons are huge UAVs with a distance of 17 meters between the wings and the fuselage being 8.5 m in length and the machine standing at four feet from the ground.

The price ranges from Rupees 70-80 lakh to two crore for a UAV, depending on sensor capability. (ANI)
Posted by: SwissTex   2007-03-08 10:20  

#5  Moose,

How many Maverick missles do ya think that blimp could carry?
Posted by: BrerRabbit   2007-03-08 08:43  

#4  I'm still curious why Israel hasn't deployed something like JLENS RAID:

http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=6448

They would seem to be a good, low cost alternative for observation of a lot of Gaza, West Bank, Lebanon and Syria. Even if it forces the bad guyz to pull back and keep their heads down, it is a big time inconvenience to them.

It would also mean that your UAVs could spend more time over the blind spots.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2007-03-08 08:12  

#3  You ain't seen nuthing yet. IMI has a UAV designed especially for AlGore.
Posted by: gromgoru   2007-03-08 06:41  

#2  Its reasonable to assume if they are talking about this one they have a better one behind the curtain.
Posted by: BrerRabbit   2007-03-08 06:34  

#1  How many unveilings of this plane?
Posted by: 3dc   2007-03-08 00:39  

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