German military to buy drones from Israel

Europe, News January 13, 2016 , by IRIA No Comments

Berlin eyes IAI’s Eitan unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, which has a range of 4,600 miles and can stay airborne for 70 hours

German military has expressed interest in buying Israeli-made unmanned reconnaissance airplanes, the Cologne-based newspaper ‘Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger’ reported on Tuesday.

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday announced plans for the army to lease Heron TP drones from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) rather than buy Predator B drones from U.S. defense contractor General Atomics.

The German military is eyeing Israel Aerospace Industries’ Eitan (“Steadfast”) drone, also known as the Heron, which has a range of over 7,400 kilometers (4,600 miles), more than four times the distance between Israel and Iran. It can also remain airborne for more than 70 hours.

The purchase would serve a temporary need until 2025, when Germany, Italy and France expect to complete development of a joint drone.

The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are to be stationed in Israel and will cost about 580 million euros.

The lease of three to five Heron TPs will cost roughly €600 million (US $650 million), with the deployment’s start scheduled for 2018, government sources disclosed. The contract is to be concluded by the end of year 2016.

Apparently, the UAVs are to be stationed initially in Israel for training purposes, but a relocation to an air base in northern Germany is planned in the long run. However, in case of problems with the registration, a deployment in Israel seems to be possible.

“This is about drones that can be armed, that will be standard in the future,” von der Leyen told reporters. “It is important for the protection of soldiers,” she said, adding she would provide more information once the contracts had been agreed.

According to the publication, the Bundeswehr is interested in procuring the “Heron TP”-model drone for reconnaissance missions. However, the Air Force also said the model would be able to carry out air strikes.

Germany already has three earlier versions of the Heron reconnaissance drone which are deployed in Afghanistan. They are maintained by Airbus and cannot be armed.

Israel is the world’s largest exporter of drones, with more than half of them going to Europe, according to a 2013 report in the Guardian. The trade of drones was worth $4.6 billion in the 8-year period from 2005-2013, according to the report.