Aircraft
Germany Confirms Heron TP UAV Contract with Airbus
The service agreement will replace an existing one for smaller IAI Heron 1 UAVs.
The Heron TP is a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAV that has been in Israeli service since 2010. (Photo: IAI)
The Heron TP is a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAV that has been in Israeli service since 2010. (Photo: IAI)

More than two years after it declared an “urgent” need to operate the large IAI Heron TP turboprop UAV, Germany has finally concluded a service contract with Airbus Defence and Space. The company has been operating smaller IAI Heron 1 UAVs for the German armed forces over Afghanistan and Mali. This is the first known export of the Heron TP, which has been in Israeli Air Force service since 2010.