Israel unveils unmanned drone that can reach Iran

[Enoch]

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8527365.stm

The Israeli military has formally unveiled a new unmanned plane that it says can fly as far as Iran.

The plane has been built and developed by Israel's own aircraft industry but Jerusalem has refused to say if it was specifically designed with Tehran in mind.

The drone operatives in this video have been filmed from behind to avoid identification.




www.theage.com.au/world/giant-israeli-drone-puts-iran-within-range-20100222-orp1.html


Giant Israeli drone puts Iran within range




JERUSALEM
February 23, 2010

ISRAEL'S air force has introduced a fleet of huge pilotless planes that can remain in the air for a day and fly as far as the Persian Gulf, putting rival Iran within its range.

The Heron TP drones, made by Israel Aerospace Industries, have a wingspan of 26 metres, making them the largest unmanned aircraft in Israel's military.

The drones can fly for at least 20 consecutive hours and are used mainly for surveillance and carrying diverse payloads.

At the fleet's inauguration ceremony at an air base in central Israel, the drone dwarfed an F-15 fighter beside it.

The unmanned plane resembles its predecessor, the Heron, but can fly higher, reaching more than 36,000 feet, and stay in the air longer.

''With the inauguration of the Heron TP, we are realising the air force's dream,'' said Brigadier-General Amikam Norkin, head of the base that will operate the drones.

Israeli officials would not say how large the fleet was or whether the planes were for use against Iran, but stressed they were versatile.

AP

[Enoch]

defense-update.com/features/2010/february/eitan_rollout_21022010.html



Israel's Third UAV Squadron to Operate 'Strategic UAV'



"The launching of this airplane is another, substantial landmark in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles. From the humble beginning of their development, with initial operational results during the first Lebanon war, the substantial and professional apparatus now accompanies almost any air force operational frame-work" said Major General Ido Nehushtan, Commander in Chief of the Israel Air Force said during the inauguration ceremony.

The IAF cooperated closely with the industry team in developing the aircraft, headed by IAI as the system development and prime ontractor. The aircraft made its maiden flight in June 2006, three years after the official program 'kickoff'.

The aircraft adds significantly to the operational capabilities of the IAF, primarily in long endurance, long-range missions, offering new capabilities in carrying heavy payloads, on higher and longer missions than most contemporary UAVs. The IAF never confirmed the combat use of weapon-carrying UAVs, although such missions using U.S. weapons are performed by U.S. forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen. One of the UAVs built by the Israelis for the U.S. Army – the Hunter, has already been configured to use weapons and is believed to have been operating on combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.



Whether the Eitan is capable of carrying weapons has not been officially confirmed though an IAF officer briefing on the new aircraft commented, that "Eitan has the potential to introduce new missions profiles and capabilities, as operators gather more experience with the new aircraft". Such missions could include aerial refueling of other UAVs, extending the missions of unmanned aircraft to weeks, when necessary. Potential future missions could also include airborne early warning against missile attack, using electro-optical and electro-magnetic sensors. An extension of the missile-defense mission, could also assume the 'boost phase intercept' task, attempting to destroy ballistic missiles on their ascent phase, when they are most vulnerable. Israel considered this mission of UAVs equipped with air-to-air missiles known as Missile Optimized Anti-Ballistic Missile System (Moab) back in the 1990s, before embarking on the Arrow missile defense system.

Although Eitan has officially entered service this year, this UAV has already contributed its ISR services during Operation Cast Lead in January 2009. The IAF is currently operating the first batch of aircraft, with more units expected to be delivered after the new system reaches full operational capability.

With maximum takeoff weight of five tons, the turbo-prop powered Eitan can be loaded with multiple payloads and enough fuel for mission endurance exceeding 24 hours, at an altitude over 41,000 ft (above civil aviation flight routes), at ranges exceeding 1,000 km. The top speed at the operational altitude is 200 knots, but the aircraft can also fly slower when required. The length is 15 meters, wing span is 26 meters and height is 3 meters.

Everywhere you look at this aircraft there is something new that hasn't been done before" says an IAF officer briefing Defense Update about the aircraft, adding that the Eitan is designed to carry out a wide range of missions, from those similar to other UAVs, to brand new missions that are exclusive for this vehicle, given its unique combination of range, endurance and payload.

"The aircraft is designed around an 'open architecture', enabling operators efficiently to introduce new systems and payloads without requiring major changes on the platform." An IAI official told Defense Update, "the airframe combines several payloads located throughout the aircraft, in the fuselage and under the wings, and in a removable 'gondola'-shaped fairing, located under the belly and around the center of gravity (CG), enabling rapid reconfiguration of aircraft for specific missions. Eitan can fly without the Gondola, on 'pure ISR' missions, or perform multifarious missions with multiple payloads, as the mission requires. A distinctive payload is the high power electro-optical system, mounted ahead of the nose landing gear, offering unobstructed hemispherical view for the telescopic thermal camera. This highly stabilized payload, unique to the IAF, offers unprecedented long-range and high altitude performance, sofar provided only by fixed wing aircraft."

Unlike multi-mission jet fighters, designed to perform in a wide operational envelope, Eitan was designed to excel in a specific domain – relatively low speed, medium to high altitude, and long endurance. The aerodynamic design selected for the aircraft has matched these attributes – twin tail with large horizontal stabilizer, the large, unswept wing's airfoil and profile, are optimized for cruising at high altitude. The wide fuselage, contributing to body lift, is further adding to extending endurance in cruising speed.

According to IAF personnel, the large payload capacity of Eitan enabled the IAF to equip the aircraft with sophisticated defensive systems, similar to modern combat aircraft. Some of the systems are visible in different locations around the aircraft. The aircraft has built-in features supporting safe operation in controlled airspace, including several video cameras, on the wing and tail, providing wide field of view for 'see and avoid' flight. Other sensors like the Interrogator Friend and Foe (IFF) already introduced in the basic platform, provide part of the functionality required for 'sense and avoid' capability. Both sensors are considered mandatory for future flight certification in civil-controlled airspace, currently being formulated by civil aviation authorities in the U.S., Europe and Israel. Furthermore, the payload reserves available in the aircraft also provide for installation of TCAS systems, if required.




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[Enoch]

Weighing over four tons, Heron TP - also dubbed Heron 2 or “Eitan”, by its Israeli Air Force (IAF) designation - is designed to fly at high altitude on missions spanning over several days. Israel was seeking a MALE UAV capability for many years, in fact, the first application of an armed MALE UAV was considered in the mid 1990s, as an alternative for the Arrow ballistic missile defense system, also developed by IAI.
Eitan, derived from the `heron TP platform, was developed under an Israel Ministry Of Defence (IMOD) program.

Apart from long range, long endurance Intelligence, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions, Eitan is designed to execute a large variety of operational missions, including aerial refueling and strategic missile defense. Eitan made its maiden flight Friday, July 15, 2006 in Israel. The new MALE UAV will provide the Israel Air Force persistent, high altitude, long endurance ISR capability well beyond the reach of enemy air defenses, far beyond the Israeli borders.

While the program is unveiled in June 2007, Heron TP has already matured and, according to IAI, it is ready for serial production. Designed as a Multi-payload, Multi-mission platform to answer the requirements of the Israel Air Force, the HERON TP is powered by a single 1,200HP Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A Turbo-Prop engine, powering a four blade propeller. The use of such powerful turbo-prop engine enables the aircraft to climb and operate at altitude above 40,000 ft avoiding any airspace conflict with commercial aircraft traffic. Using on board fuel and power resources, Heron TP is able to sustain continuous missions for over 36 hours with full mission payload. The aircraft is also equipped with deicing systems protecting the aircraft when flying through icing conditions.

With maximum takeoff weight of 4650 kg, the 14 meter long aircraft can carry over 1,000 kg of sensors in its forward section, main payload bay, and the two bulges located at the end of each tail boom, offering optimal separation for specific systems. Other stores can be mounted along the wing, in internal and external positions. Heron TP could be fitted with wing hard-points for external stores. The aircraft is equipped with multiple datalinks, supporting line-of-sight (LOS) and Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) links via satellite communications.

The giant drone maintains the twin tail boom principle offering stable and redundant design and large payload bay located around the aircraft center of gravity, uninterrupted by the landing gear. This configuration allows for quick and simple payload reconfiguration on the flight line. Emphasis has been placed on the aircraft airworthiness design. Highest safety and reliability standards are used, including triple redundancy and fully Automated Take Off and Landing were embedded in the Heron TP, enabling it to fly safely also over urban areas.

The new platform will be able to deploy multiple sensors, and fly on extended missions for extended durations, beyond the capabilities of current UAVs. To enable extended operations, Eitan uses new highly redundant avionics suite based on new generation of UAV avionics and controllers developed by RADA.








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