Posted on 02/24/2010 12:37:52 AM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
This week the Israeli Air Force (IAF) held a ceremony spotlighting the "operational acceptance" of its biggest unmanned aerial vehicle, the 4.5-ton Heron TP, or "Eitan." The far-flying UAV, with a wingspan almost as long as a 737 airliner, appeared on the runway with a comparatively diminutive F-15 alongside it. The IAF already rushed this UAV into action during the 2008–'09 war in Gaza, so the ceremony really served as a reminder to Iran that its drone fleets can reach the nation. But how will Israel use them?
The Eitan can carry a ton of payload and can reach Iran's nuclear facilities, which the United Nations last week determined is hiding an active weapons program. But that does not mean these will be used as bombers. The IAF has been buying and upgrading airplanes specifically for long-distance strikes such as a potential attack against Iran. At least 50 F-15 Raam and F-16 Soufa aircraft have been converted by installing extra fuel tanks for greater range and countermeasures to defeat radar and missiles. So maybe the warplane/UAV tag team presented at the "operational acceptance ceremony" speaks to how manned and unmanned aircraft will work together on missions: The drone provides information while the manned airplanes drop the guided munitions.
Working from high altitudes, the Eitan will likely be used to provide prestrike information on targets, to eavesdrop on electronic communications and to send battle damage assessments back after an attack. It will also undoubtably be used to monitor any retaliation for the airstrike—seeking rocket launches and eavesdropping on Iran. The onboard power required to electronically jam radar and communications equipment is not in the Eitan, Israeli defense industry officials told the trade journal Defense News. But the ability to carry so much weight opens up questions about the drones' ability to
(Excerpt) Read more at popularmechanics.com ...
I would like to see them to Iran with as many nuclear bombs it can carry.
Oh, would that be true. That gives them some offensive capability against the Iranians, but alas, not enough to defeat the continuing Iranian progress with nuclear weapons.
Not sure there is much that will cripple them at this stage - even US bombings...
To get to Iran they would have to have at least tacit permission from Jordan plus either Iraq or Saudi Arabia. That thing is slow and it doesn’t look like they even attempted to make it stealthy.
The Saudis and other Gulf states have been open to the possiblity of letting the IDF fly over their territory.
Well, I doubt that permission from other countries would stop them if they had the capability to actually damage Iran’s capability. The would be the least of their worries.
So Israel actually beat US to the punch when it comes to using drones & taking advantage of what they could do, did they? Good for them.
I don’t see anything that looks like a bomb bay. That is one hell of a supercharger on top of the engine though.
What about the wings? You can carry a small nuke. B-61 bombs are not very big.
I didn’t think that Saudi Arabia would have much of a problem letting the drones fly over their airspace, ‘cuz they are kinda worried about Iran, too, are they not?
Maybe. Saudi backed Israel during the war in Lebanon. But the Israeli’s disappointed everyone that time and the Saudi’s may be reluctant to back them again. Besides, Bush was in office then. There’s no telling what Zero would do if Iran were attacked.
I gotta admit that I was VERY embarrassed by the weak Israeli response in Lebanon in 2006, or whenever it was. How they could be so squeamish & not take total victory & destroy their enemy in Lebanon is beyond me. I hope they have learned something through that experience.
I don’t speak Hebrew. What does ‘Eitan’ mean? I’m curious...
Rafi Eitan was the Mossad honcho in charge of capturing Eichmann.
that’s because it’s a recon bird. This article is hype to sell magazines.
EMPs. The nuclear plants use a lot of electric power.
Yes, of course that could be used against them as well...
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