On May 2, 2024, the German Air Force announced that its Heron TP Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), leased since 2018, are ready for operations in Germany and globally, with flights set to begin in mid-May.
This announcement follows the granting of a type certificate by the German Military Aviation Authority at the end of 2022, at a time when the Heron TP was being operated from an undisclosed location in Israel.
The primary task of the Heron TP is to support German soldiers and those of allied forces on the ground. For example, these UAVs can accompany convoys to timely detect dangers and thus warn ground troops in real time. Depending on the configuration, the German Heron TP can stay airborne for up to 27 hours. By operating two reconnaissance drones in parallel, an operational area could be continuously monitored for several days.
Furthermore, the Heron TP is intended to bridge the gap between the retirement of the earlier Heron 1 UAS and the introduction of the new European medium-altitude long-endurance UAS known as Eurodrone, with Airbus Defence and Space operating five air vehicles out to 2027.
The Heron TP is configured with electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) sensors and imaging radar systems to support intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) tasks. Specifically, the aircraft has been cleared to carry the IAI (Tamam) M-19HD EO sensor turret, which includes zoom and spotter high-definition (HD) day cameras, an HD IR zoom camera, laser designator, laser rangefinder, laser pointer, near-IR laser illuminator, electron-multiplying charge-coupled device camera, and short-wave IR camera. Satellite communications and Bundeswehr data/voice encryption systems are also part of the mission fit.