Posted on 03/07/2007 10:21:05 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
IAF receives largest Heron UAV - the Shoval The IAF will soon unveil the Eitan UAV for intercepting ballistic missiles. Amnon Barzilai 7 Mar 07 16:26 The Israel Air Force (IAF) today took delivery its first new generation Heron unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI). The IAF has named the UAV “Shoval”. The new Heron is a qualitative jump in the IAF’s operational capabilities for the wide range of missions thanks to the UAV’s special features. The new Heron is a large UAV, the most advanced of its kind in the world, and able to carry the heaviest payload of any UAV in IAF service.
The new Heron can stay airborne for over 40 hours, has a 30,000-foot ceiling, 16.6-meter wingspan, take-off weight of 1,200 kilograms, an operational range of several hundred kilometers, all-weather capability, and automatic take-off, flying and landing capability.
During the second Lebanon war, joint IAF-IAI teams operated the new Heron for a wide range of missions that employed a variety of sensors. The missions demonstrated the UAV’s potential for contributing to Israel’s security.
IAI CEO Yitzhak Nissan said, “Unquestionably, the Heron 1 UAV, built by IAI, is a major breakthrough in the IAF’s UAV capabilities.”
The IAF will soon unveil the Eitan, another strategic long-range Heron UAV, capable of attacking ballistic missile launch sites and intercepting ballistic missiles in the launch phase of flight. IAI and EADS have also jointly developed a version of the Heron, called the Eagle 1. It is one of the largest UAVs in use, with a wingspan of 38 meters, the same as a Boeing 737.
The Eitan can carry sufficient fuel for long endurance missions, and can carry a payload of communications and optics for intelligence gathering as well as special ordnance for intercepting ballistic missiles and ground assault missions.
In response to a “Aviation Week” report, defense sources said that a strategic UAV might be able to deal with the Iranian missile threat against Israel. “Aviation Week” said that a UAV with air-to-air refueling capability, based on the Eagle 1, was under development, and that the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology was developing a prototype air-to-air refueling system.
"defense sources said that a strategic UAV might be able to deal with the Iranian missile threat against Israel"
uh huh
The Israeli Spike-ER would be a better option.It's easier to retarget & it's smaller warhead means lesser collateral damage.
Even better then. It sure beats having to scramble an Apache just to blow up an SUV.
s'funny. Almost exactly a design variation of the SATUJT/aerosafe eagle helicopter this architect came up with last summer. Twin tail just like this but w/central sphere and ring that rotates around the sphere. Ring has 4, 6 or 8 turbines mounted on the outside of it. In a horizontal ring position it is VTOL, then the ring is swung 90 deg to the vertical plane when it's up in the air for forward thrust/flight.
Basically the V22 osprey but w/o its VRC and vulnerable outer motors/props. The central sphere could be thickly armored w/kevlar(18" to 24")for hostile ground fire.
So just replace the central pod w/sphere and ring/turbines and you've improved this design even further.
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