Israel's drone developments

摘要

Last year, the Israeli Air Force's (lAF's) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) fleet performed a record number of flight hours. At the same time, a report was released confirming that the different drones used by the air arm performed more than 80％ of the total number of flight hours accumulated by the force in 2019. IAF sources confirm that the number is actually set to grow, and with good reason. Extensive military activities in different theatres are resulting in a demand for more advanced UAVs. Some are under development while others are already flying but remain highly classified. One example of an upgraded version of a combat-proven UAV is the T-Heron. According to manufacturer Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the T-Heron is designed for high-end tactical missions in support of ground forces. The prototype is powered by a Rotax 912 iSC engine, but a company official told AFM that the series-production T-Heron may utilise a different powerplant.