Special to WorldTribune.com

LONDON — A leading Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle has reached a
milestone in the NATO stabilization campaign in Afghanistan.

Executives said the Heron-1 UAV, operated by the German military and
Cassidian, has exceeded more than 15,000 flight hours in Afghanistan.

Heron-1, produced by the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, has been assigned to monitor the northern half of Afghanistan.

“Heron thus makes an invaluable contribution to protecting soldiers and the civilian population in the theater of operations,” Cassidian said.

In a statement on July 22, Cassidian outlined Heron operations in Afghanistan. The European company said Cassidian operated three Heron-1 systems for the German Air Force, stationed in Mazar-e-Sharif.

“The Heron-1 unmanned reconnaissance system’s sensors deliver useful information round the clock for preparing and carrying out military
operations,” Cassidian said. “The integrated satellite datalink thereby
enables the Bundeswehr and its NATO partners to monitor the entire northern
half of Afghanistan, whose surface area of more than 300,000 square miles,
almost equals the size of the Federal Republic of Germany.”

The German military has deployed Heron-1, with an endurance of more than
24 hours, in what was called the operator model. Under the arrangement,
Cassidian Airborne Solutions has been responsible for UAV maintenance as
well as take-off and landings. German military personnel operate the UAVs
during flights.

“Its [Heron-1] tasks include detecting booby traps from the air,
accompanying convoys and patrols, assisting forces in combat situations,
reconnoitering and surveilling routes, establishing movement profiles and
long-term monitoring, supporting situation assessments, and protecting
property and military camps,” Cassidian said.

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