Heron TP

Israel’s heaviest operational medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) uncrewed aircraft — a 26-m-wingspan, turboprop-powered strategic platform built for deep surveillance, satellite-linked strike and persistent overwatch, and the backbone of Germany’s interim combat-drone fleet.

Overview

The Heron TP (IAI designation Eitan, “Steadfast”) is a twin-boom, high-wing, retractable-gear MALE uncrewed air system from Israel Aerospace Industries’ Malat division. With a 1,200-hp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67A turboprop, a payload capacity of about 1,000 kg of mission equipment and a published endurance of more than 30 hours, it is the largest and longest-legged UAV in Israel’s inventory, capable of operating above commercial air traffic and beyond line of sight via satellite communications. The platform is fielded by the Israeli Air Force’s 210 Squadron, has been leased by Germany for the Luftwaffe as a weapons-capable bridge to Eurodrone, and is flown by Greece in a maritime surveillance configuration. Though Israel never officially confirms armament, multiple reports and official program documents show that the Heron TP can carry air-to-ground missiles on under-wing hardpoints, making it a heavy UCAV as well as a strategic ISTAR asset.

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