IAI withdrew its Heron staffers from Turkey in early June amid
government orders for Israelis to leave the NATO member-state. IAI and other
Israeli companies in Turkey were warned that they were no longer safe in
Turkey in wake of the bloody Israel Navy interception of the
Turkish-organized flotilla to the Gaza Strip on May 31.
Zaman, regarded as close to the government of Prime Minister Recep
Erdogan, said the Turkish military has replaced Heron for reconnaissance
operations. The newspaper said the military has begun operating UAVs
produced by Turkey's Baykar for intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance missions.
An Israeli source said IAI and Elbit Systems, which provided components
for Heron, withdrew their crews from Turkey on June 12. Elbit and IAI later
issued a statement that eight of the 10 Herons have already been delivered
and that the withdrawal of the crews did not signal an end to the UAV
project.
Baykar has produced and supplied the IHA unmanned platforms to the
Turkish military. IHA, deemed a short-range tactical platform, was said to
have a range of 15 kilometers and could reach an altitude of 12,000 feet.
Turkish sources acknowledged that IHA did not approach the capabilities
of Heron, with an endurance of more than 50 hours. Turkey, in a $190 million
contract, has received six of 10 Herons, with the remaining platforms
expected to arrive in July.
Baykar has been working with another Turkish firm, Kale Kalip, to
develop a longer-range UAV called Caldiran. Caldiran, with a range of
sensors, was designed to have capabilities that exceed Heron.
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