Tel Aviv: Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) with its European partner Airbus DS Airborne Solutions (ADAS) are negotiating new joint contracts with a number of countries, one in Europe, according to Moshe Levy, IAI’s EVP and the general manger of its military aircraft group.
Levy said that IAI and its European partner will continue to provide unmanned aerial maritime surveillance services to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex.
Under the terms of the follow-on framework contract that has now been signed, the Medium-Altitude, Long-Endurance system Maritime Heron will be operated for Frontex in the European sky over the Mediterranean for another four years, making an important contribution to the security and stability of Europe.
The continuation of missions with the IAI Heron UAV under the new framework contract is scheduled for the beginning of 2025. The Maritime Heron can stay in the air for over 20 hours (in the contracted configuration). It collects surveillance data by using electro-optical sensors and thermal infrared sensors. The Heron UAV is also equipped with a high-performance maritime patrol radar and an automatic identification system.
All collected data are forwarded directly to the Frontex operational command centre in Warsaw and the control centres of the respective host countries. This enables them to coordinate rescue operations in real time, take action against illegal activities and thus ensure the safety of the Mediterranean.
In the exclusive interview, Levy revealed that the current deal with Germany for the lease of IAI’s Heron TP MALE UAV’s is likely to expand based on lessons from the war in Ukraine. The IAI’s senior official said that the company is now developing VTOL quadcopters with a maximum takeoff of 200 kgs. “The market for such quadcopters is expanding and we develop new versions to answer the growing demand.”
The Israeli defence forces (IDF) are already using the APUS25 developed by IAI in cooperation with Israeli company AeRoror. IAI’s APUS 25, a new patented quadcopter designed for tactical missions, is engineered from the baseline to deliver a high payload-to-endurance ratio that overcomes these capability gaps. As a quadcopter platform, APUS 25 takes off and lands vertically from any flat surface, thus enabling tactical users on land and at sea the advantage of an aerial platform that can carry significant payloads, operate extended missions over long ranges without the need for an airstrip.
APUS 25 is powered by an internal combustion engine (ICE) that works at a constant speed and employs a variable pitch rotor system for flight control. This high efficiency contributes to long mission endurance, allowing the carriage of heavier payloads over extended ranges, longer flights, and operating in high wind conditions, allowing users to execute their missions faster, with fewer restrictions.
Using Jet-A1, JP5, JP8, and Gasoline fuels, the engine uses liquid cooling to enable extended hovering across the whole mission time, generating 300 watts of continuous power to support mission payloads.
In recent years, MALE UAVs have proved to be very vulnerable to air defence systems. These types were shot down by the Houthi rebels in Yemen and by the Hamas in Gaza.
Levy said that the solution is to equip the MALE UAV’ with upgraded payloads that will enable performing the missions from higher altitudes. “This will be complemented with specially selected operational flight paths and some new systems that will enhance the MALE UAV protection,” he added.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
