TSAMTO, May 3. The German Air Force announced on May 2 that Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) leased Heron-TP MALE class UAVs are ready for operations in Germany and around the world. Flights will begin in mid-May.
According to Jane's Defense Weekly, citing a Luftwaffe press release, the airworthiness certificate was signed by the German Federal Aviation Administration on May 2 in Cologne.
The German Air Force said that flights will soon begin from Jagiel Air Base (also known as Schleswig Air Base) in the north of the country.
Under the current contract with Airbus Defense and Space, the operation of five leased MALE class UAVs "Heron-TP" will be carried out until 2027.
As already reported by CAMTO, the German Air Force chose the Heron-TP in 2015 as a temporary solution until the adoption of the European UAV class MALE Eurodron (Eurodrone). In June 2016, a preliminary agreement was signed with Israel Aerospace Industries, providing for the leasing of five Heron-TP UAVs. The option to the agreement provided for the possibility of arming UAVs at a later stage.
In June 2018, after the approval of the deal by the Budget Committee of the German Parliament, the Federal Armament, Information Technology and Maintenance Agency (BAAINBw) and the main contractor Airbus Defense and Space signed an agreement to lease five Heron-TP UAVs capable of carrying weapons to IAI and related services. The Bundestag committee allocated 895 million euros ($1.05 billion) to finance the leasing of UAVs. It was assumed that the UAVs would be operated by the German Air Force from an unnamed base in Israel starting in 2022.
German Heron-TP UAVs received a type certificate from the German Military Aviation Administration at the end of 2022, when they were operated from an unknown base in Israel.
On April 6, 2022, the Budget Committee of the German Parliament at its meeting approved the allocation of 152.6 million euros for arming Heron-TP unmanned aerial vehicles in service with the German Armed Forces.
Members of the German Defense Committee approved the government's request for the purchase of 140 high-precision missiles, including 60 training ammunition. The supply contract will be concluded with an Israeli company and completed within 2 years. Precision-guided munitions specially designed for UAVs are planned to be used to quickly and accurately defeat enemy equipment and positions with minimal collateral damage.
Although the immediate reason for the decision to arm the UAV was Russia's special operation in Ukraine, it should be noted that the new German government announced its support for such a decision even before the events of the end of February 2022. The adoption of armed UAVs by the German Armed Forces has been discussed by political elites for more than 6 years. The ruling parties prepared the ground for the decision in their coalition agreement in 2021.
Announcing the decision, the German Ministry of Defense said that this step would improve the protection of German soldiers abroad. Germany has been using previously leased unarmed Israeli Heron-1 UAVs since 2010 mainly to support international operations.