The German Bundeswehr renews the service contracts for the Heron 1 systems in Afghanistan and Mali

(To Airbus)
09/07/20

Airbus Defense and Space and the Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Support in Service of the Bundeswehr (BAAINBw) have renewed a service contract for Heron 1 Remote Guided Air Systems (UAS) operating in Afghanistan and Mali .

In Afghanistan, the Heron 1 service contract was extended in March 2020, for the period June 2020 / May 2021. The program successfully recorded over 46.000 flight hours on over 4.100 operating flights. Also in March of this year, the German Air Force surpassed the 10-year milestone of Heron 1 operations in Afghanistan, with the first operational flight dating back to March 17, 2010.

At the same time, in Mali, the Heron 1 service contract has also been extended for the period August 2020 / July 2021 (with an option for August 2021 / July 2022). The program recorded over 11.500 flight hours on over 1200 operating flights. Heron 1's first flight to Mali dates back to November 1, 2016, after the signing of the first service contract in July 2016.

Adding also the operations in Afghanistan and Mali of Heron 1 for the German Armed Forces, the Air Force UAV system has thus registered more than 57.500 operating flight hours.

Both operations theaters follow the same joint management model between the Bundeswehr and industry. Airbus Defense and Space is in charge of the supply, maintenance and repair of the Heron 1 system.

This management model demonstrated its potential during operations in Afghanistan and Mali, as evidenced by the extreme reliability of the system of 99%. The deployments of the Heron system in Afghanistan and Mali also help develop skills within the Bundeswehr with a view to future MALE RPAS systems.

German reconnaissance missions focus on the crisis areas of the country, in order to provide the best possible protection to the population, as well as to German troops and contingents from other nations stationed in the country.

Produced by the Israeli company IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries), Heron 1 is a UAS with wide autonomy at medium altitude (MALE) capable of flying over operating theaters for long periods of time.

The Heron 1 has a wingspan of 16,6 meters and a maximum mission duration of over 24 hours. The system's military tasks include detecting explosive traps in flight, accompanying convoys and patrols, assisting troops in combat situations, reconnaissance and surveillance of routes, defining movement profiles and long-term monitoring, facilitate assessments of the situation and protect military properties and camps. It is also used in support of humanitarian missions.

The Heron 1 systems, currently used by the German Armed Forces in Afghanistan and Mali, will be replaced by the more powerful IAI Heron TP, following an agreement signed in Berlin in July 2018 between Airbus Defense and Space and the Federal Office of Equipment, IT and in-service support of the Bundeswehr (BAAINBw). The replacement process of Heron 1 with Heron TP will have a two-year set-up phase, followed by an operational phase lasting another seven years, thus bridging the gap until the development of a European UAS MALE.