IAI Heron / Machatz-1 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (2005)
The IAI Heron has seen a blooming export market realize its potential.
The Heron system consists of the aircraft unit itself and the applicable ground control station. Many of her facilities and functions are designed to be completely automated including fly-to-waypoint operation and take-off/landing actions. Guidance is via a GPS receiver and communications with ground control is accomplished through either satellite relay (SATCOM) or ground-based, direct line-of-sight (LoS) data link systems. The Heron is not armed per se, but instead can be used to feed airborne-based intelligence to accompanying units in the air or on the ground in real-time and in most any weather conditions. Like other UAVs in this class, the Heron can fly about on a pre-programmed mission flight path or direct control can be had by its ground-based personnel. The ground operator can also take over any automated Heron functions at any time. Other internal Heron systems include an Electro Optical TV/IR system, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) facility and a Maritime Patrol Radar (MPR).
Like other UAVs serving in armed forces around the world today, the Heron takes on a conventional, somewhat basic, aircraft shape characterized by its long-spanning straight wings fitted high atop the fuselage. The fuselage is smoothly contoured to promote basic aerodynamic principles with the forward portion bulged to house necessary equipment. Similarly, the belly of the aircraft is also bulged for internal storage requirements including payload. The wings hold the boom extensions that support a pair of vertical tail fins. The tail fins are joined at their bases by a single horizontal plane. The fuselage ends in a sharp angle, this area containing the single engine placement and identified by its two-bladed propeller fixture. The undercarriage is fully retractable and consists of two single-wheeled main landing gear legs and a single-wheeled nose leg. The Heron measures a running length of 27 feet, 10 inches with a wingspan of 54 feet, 5 inches. Her maximum take-off weight is listed at 2,530lbs and she can carry a 550lb payload.
Power for the Heron is supplied by a single Rotax 914 turbocharged, air- and water-cooled, 4-cylinder light class aviation engine of 115 horsepower with Austrian origins. This Rotax powerplant has proven popular in other military UAV mounts as well and was developed from the preceding Rotax 912 series. The engine is mounted in a rather unconventional "pusher" engine arrangement (as opposed to a "puller" propeller arrangement). Top speed for the UAV is 130 miles per hour with an operational range of up to 217 miles and a service ceiling of over 30,000 feet. In its base configuration, the Heron can remain airborne for up to 40 hours at a time.
Foreign operators have taken to the Heron with India being one of the largest owners of the type to date. Other forces include Australia, Brazil, Canada, France (as the "Eagle" by EADS), Germany and Turkey - though these having been delivered in relatively smaller numbers. It is believed that the Turkish Herons (designated as "Heron TP") are the most evolved of the Heron family line to date.
All told, the Heron exists in two distinct production forms as the "Heron 1" and the "Heron TP". The Heron 1 is the basic Medium-Altitude, Long-Endurance (MALE) UAV model with a 550lb payload capacity and a 52-hour mission endurance time while the Heron TP is an updated form fitting more advanced equipment with improved performance specifications and an inherently multi-role nature. The Heron TP retains the strengths of the original Heron design but is powered by a 1,200 horsepower turboprop engine installation (four-bladed assembly), can carry upwards of 2,200lbs of payload and reach altitudes of 45,000 feet. The enhanced performance capabilities do, however, reduce the expected mission endurance time to 36 hours though this is somewhat negligible considering the improvements to the basic design.
The Heron has already seen operational service with the Israeli military, particularly during operations over Gaza. In this scenario, the Heron worked in conjunction with Israeli helicopters and warplanes as well as advancing ground forces, supplying Israeli commanders with valuable real-time surveillance of the unfolding action - a far cry from the "blind" methods of waging war seen just a decade earlier. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
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Specifications for the
IAI Heron / Machatz-1
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Country of Origin: Israel
Manufacturer: Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) - Israel
Initial Year of Service: 2005
Production: 206
Focus Model: IAI Heron / Machatz-1
Crew: 6
Length: 27.89ft (8.5m)
Width: 54.46ft (16.60m)
Height: 0.00ft (0.00m)
Weight (Empty): 0lbs (0kg)
Weight (MTOW): 2,535lbs (1,150kg)
Powerplant: 1 x Rotax 914 engine delivering 115 horsepower.
Maximum Speed: 129mph (207kmh; 112kts)
Maximum Range: 217miles (350km)
Service Ceiling: 30,512ft (9,300m; 5.8miles)
Rate-of-Climb: 492 feet per minute (150m/min)
Hardpoints: 0
Armament Suite:
None.
Variants:
Heron - Base Series Designation
Heron 1 - Initial Production Model; 550lb payload; 52-hour endurance; 30,000 feet altitude.
Heron TP - Improved Heron; 2,200lb payload; 36-hour endurance; 45,000 feet maximum altitude.
Harfang / Eagle - French Designation
Operators: Australia; Brazil; Canada; Ecuador; France; Germany; India; Israel; Turkey; United States
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