General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) is challenging in the courts Germany’s recent decision to lease Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron TP medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) instead of procuring its own MQ-9 Reaper, it was disclosed on 30 August.
The US company filed a lawsuit with the German high court on 29 August protesting the Bundeswehr’s decision, announced in January, to lease between three and five Heron TP UAVs from 2018, at a cost of about EUR580 million (USD646 million), the Reuters news agency reported.
As reported by Reuters, the reasons behind GA-ASI’s protest have not been revealed, other than it follows an earlier complaint against the leasing arrangement that was lodged with the German cartel office in June and which was rejected on 17 August.
GA-ASI has been pushing its Reaper platform to Germany for a number of years, and in 2008 the country’s government went so far as to request a sale from the United States. On that occasion, however, it ultimately decided to adopt the IAI Heron 1 instead.
With the Bundeswehr already fielding three IAI Heron 1 UAVs, it plans to replace these with the larger and more capable Heron TP to fulfil its interim MALE UAV requirements. These will be operated by IAI in Israel (with Airbus Defence and Space managing the contract), and were due to be available to the Bundeswehr from 2018.
Whatever the reason behind the protest, it will likely result in a delay of several months to the Bundeswehr’s fielding of its new MALE UAV capability. “This move by General Atomics is very unfortunate and frustrating, especially since our legal position was upheld by the [cartel office] with very clear words,” a senior ministry acquisition official told lawmakers in a letter seen by Reuters.
The Heron TP is due serve the Bundeswehr as an interim MALE UAV solution until the pan-European MALE2020 system becomes operational in about 2025.
Source: IHS Jane’s 360