Newly-acquired UAV headed for Afghanistan

Canadian Forces Army News ^ | 2008-12-18 | Sgt Steve Hofman, CFB Wainwright

[Clive]

One of the Canadian military´s newest additions, the Heron UAV,
taxis at CFB/ASU Wainwright during Exercise Maple Guardian.

[Clive]

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[Clive]

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[Clive]

Ex Maple Guardian is a recurring intensive training exercise working up the next battle group to be deployed to Kandahar.

[MD_Willington_1976]

Why the heck can’t Bombardier make one for DNDCA...

I’ve always been amazed that DNDCA can’t get their crap together and build this stuff themselves...

Same thing with side arms, Para-Ordnance is in Canada... yet they went with Sig?

[devistate one four]

Ooooh Rah! Give ‘em h3ll!

[Jeff Head]

The Canadian Heron is certainly more capable than the French Sperwer, but they all take a second seat to the US Reaper...which is the follow on to the Predator.

[piytar]

Dang! That’s definitely a tech way of saying, “You REALLY don’t want of piece of the US!!!”

[PasorBob]

Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Canada confuses me. They celebrate there military successes in Afghanistan. I recently saw a Canadian TV special about their sinking of a retired ship using different weapons systems.

Why do they want to name their new system "heron" ? Unless you are a minnow or a frog, a heron isn't very intimidating. Why not "destroyer of Worlds", or "Satan's eyeball", or "Grim Reaper"? They could just as well as called it "flying pussy cat".

[SandRat]

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[uglybiker]

Beer Killer (eh?)

[fanfan]

[fanfan]

A heron is a graceful bird which glides silently.

Seems perfect to me.

[2111USMC]

Well, you know us Yanks.

We’re a bunch bloodthirsty warmongers.

:)

[fanfan]

I know.

Thank God!
:-)

[VOA]

UAVs allow us to know where the ‘bad guys’ are. Often, we know
that better than they do themselves.”

Not suprising.
As most terrorists are males.
And just won't stop to ask for directions.

(Yes, I'm joking. A little bit. Because I'm a male and sometimes
have "resembled that remark"!!! LOL!)

[VOA]

A heron is a graceful bird which glides silently.

Seems perfect to me.

Agreed. A nice name taken from a "long-winded" and graceful bird.
Yep, we get to see blue herons (too rarely) even in places
like Oklahoma.

It's a good name for a craft designed for low-speed, long-term
loitering for the purpose of gathering information.

My only real suprise is the French came up with an ungraceful
name like "Sperwer".
That sounds more like a Germanic name! (to my flyover-country
American ears)

[fanfan]

LOL!

Yes! What’s with that?

[fanfan]

We have blue herons nest in our trees all summer. They are fascinating to watch as they walk through the weeds, occasionally snatching a fish, and then freezing again for a moment, with just their eyes moving.

"Sperwer".

In a French accent, it would probably sound like "Spur-were". With the emphasis on the 'were'.

[Clive]

The "w" in the name is pronounced as a "v". It is Dutch for "sparrowhawk". The early mark vehicle was originally designed for the Netherlands in the early 1990s.

It is launched from a truck and recovered by parachute which makes it more portable than UAVs that need a runway, but its limited flight endurance impairs its use for reconnaissance.