Special to WorldTribune.com

LONDON — France has reported the deployment of an Israeli-designed
unmanned aerial vehicle in air strikes in Mali.

The French Defense Ministry said the military was using the Harfang
medum-altitude, long-endurance UAV in operations in Mali in 2013. Harfang
has been identified as a variant of the Heron UAV by Israel Aerospace
Industries.

“Since January, a detachment of Harfang MALE unmanned aerial vehicles is engaged in Operation Serval, France’s intervention in Mali,” the Defense Ministry said. Its mission is to provide UAV support to military operations.”

In a statement on Feb. 8, the ministry did not cite the Israeli link to
Harfang. The ministry said Harfang conducted its first missions over Mali on Jan. 18, particularly Douentza and Gao, captured by Al Qaida-aligned forces.

“Perfectly integrated into ground and air operations, the UAV also
cooperates with aircraft of the Air Force and navy operating over Malian territory,” the ministry said.

Harfang, also deployed in the NATO mission in Libya in 2011, was said to contain an endurance of more than 20 hours. The ministry said one UAV conducted a record 26-hour mission on Jan. 25-26 over Mali.

“Now an indispensable tool of modern military operations, the UAV can,
thanks to its persistence and the quality of its sensors, provide ground
force commanders with quality battlefield intelligence, and a clear vision
of the operational situation,” the ministry said.

  France using Israeli drone variant in Mali, Harfang UAV, Israel Aerospace Industries, record 26-hour mission