The Israel Air Force has this week marked 40 years since the establishment of its first Unmanned Aircraft Systems Squadron 200, at the IAF base in Palmachim. To mark the occasion, a ceremony was held in the presence of current and veteran squadron members, including IAF Commander Major General Ido Nehushtan, senior Ministry of Defense officials, and representatives of the Israeli defense companies whose engineering capabilities and innovative prowess have pioneered Israeli UAS over four decades.
Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. has led the IAF’s UAS development over the past 30 years, since launching the IAF’s first ever operational UAS, the Scout and through to today’s Heron Turbo Prop.
The Scout entered IAF operational service in 1981, and was highly effective in the First Lebanon War the following year. The Scout was finally retired only in 2004.
IAI’s Searcher became operational in 1992 and underwent an upgrade in 1998 with the entry of the Searcher II that included better engine performance, and advanced navigation and communication systems. Still operational with the IAF, Searcher is also in service with 10 customers worldwide, including with the Spanish Air Force that uses it in operations in Afghanistan.
In 2005, the IAI Heron, named Shoval, was introduced into the squadron. The Heron is operated by 15 different customers worldwide and functions as the central ISR aerial asset of the German, Australian, Canadian and French forces.
The latest addition to the IAF is its largest and most sophisticated: the Heron Turbo Prop (TP) that was introduced to Squadron 210 in February 2010 under the name Eitan. It can perform long range missions of over 1,000 kilometers, and can remain airborne for over 24 hours. It has a powerful turbo-prop engine (1,200 horsepower), allowing it to reach altitudes of over 41,000 feet – higher than normal commercial aircraft flight operations. The Eitan has a wingspan of about 26 meters (similar to the wingspan of a Boeing 737 aircraft) and is designed to meet the demanding civil aviation authorities’ certification requirements created in recent years in Israel and abroad.
IAI president and CEO Itzhak Nissan said:” Throughout the years, IAI delivered innovative UAS, which have always been considered impressive technological achievements and have made both IAI and the State of Israel very proud. The UAS are providing a crucial contribution to the IAF’s operational capabilities.”
Source: Press Release