DTN News - FRANCE DEFENSE NEWS: France To Purchase Israeli Military Vehicles

DTN News - FRANCE DEFENSE NEWS: France To Purchase Israeli Military Vehicles

**French Defense Ministry announced decision to purchase IAI’s Heron TP long-endurance UAV that entered the IAF service in 2010.

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Yaakov Katz - Jerusalem Post

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 26, 2011: Israel Aerospace Industries continues to fortify its presence in Europe after it beat out an American bid to sell strategic unmanned aerial vehicles to the French military.

Last week, the French Defense Ministry announced its decision to purchase IAI’s Heron TP long-endurance UAV that entered the Israel Air Force service in 2010. The Heron TP will replace the smaller Heron 1, which has been in French service for a number of years.

IAI, together with France’s Dassault, beat out a bid from America’s General Atomics Aeronautical Systems which offered a version of the Predator B UAV, a vehicle that has been used extensively in Afghanistan and Pakistan in recent years.

This will be the first export deal of the Heron TP, Israel’s largest UAV. IAI, which declined to comment on the deal, will manufacture the aircraft frame in Israel and assembly will be completed by Dassault in France.

The deal is estimated to reach close to $500 million over a number of years and could lead to additional contracts for IAI as other countries, such as Germany, seek to upgrade their UAV capabilities.

Selection of the Heron TP was announced on Friday following a meeting by France’s Ministerial Committee for Investment. The French Defense Ministry will now open negotiations with Dassault to finalize the deal.

The Heron TP is the largest UAV in the Israel Air Force service. It has a 26 meter long wingspan - the size of a Boeing 737 - and can stay airborne for up to 45 hours. It can carry 1,000 kg. in payloads, making it capable of conducting a wide variety of missions. According to foreign reports, it has the ability to also launch missiles and in Israel it is often referred to as the UAV “that can reach Iran.”

France is expected to use the Heron TP in military operations throughout the world such as in Afghanistan, where five NATO member countries are already operating UAVs manufactured in Israel.

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*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Yaakov Katz - Jerusalem Post

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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

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DTN News: Rheinmetall Defence And Israel Aerospace Industries To Provide ISR Services For German Armed Forces In Afghanistan

DTN News: Rheinmetall Defence And Israel Aerospace Industries To Provide ISR Services For German Armed Forces In Afghanistan *Source: DTN News / Rheinmetall Defence (NSI News Source Info) DUSSELDROF, German - October 31, 2009: Rheinmetall Defence and the German Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement (Bundesamt für Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung – BWB) signed a service provider contract today to provide the German Bundeswehr with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities through the deployment of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system. This bridges the gap prior to the "SAATEG (System zur Abbildenden Aufklärung in der Tiefe des Einsatzgebietes)" acquisition programme. Under the current multimillion-euro contract, the Bundeswehr will lease the UAV system for one year with an option for a two year-extension. This SAATEG Interim Solution programme will significantly contribute to comprehensive situational awareness within the scope of networked command and control in Northern Afghanistan, a region for which Germany is responsible, by providing wide area real-time reconnaissance and surveillance data for German ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) troops. Flight operations will commence by mid March 2010. Compared to UAV systems currently in service with the Bundeswehr, the UAV system to be deployed is capable of covering a substantially larger footprint, while its high-performance sensors can provide reconnaissance data at even severe weather conditions. Rheinmetall Defence and its partner Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will provide IAI's Heron MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) UAV system, including full in-theatre logistical and maintenance services performed by Rheinmetall Defence. Missions of the UAV-System will be performed and controlled by Bundeswehr personnel. "Following the deployment of Rheinmetall's KZO tactical UAV system by the German Army in Afghanistan earlier this year, SAATEG is set to make another important contribution to protecting our soldiers and their allies as they carry out their vital mission", declares Heinz Dresia, Member of the Executive Board of Rheinmetall Defence, adding that "Rheinmetall's responsibility for performing the complete package of service, repairs and maintenance for the SAATEG system positions us as a competent full-service supplier of logistic services in the field of aerial reconnaissance systems." Itzhak Nissan, President and CEO of IAI, said: "We are proud to provide along with Rheinmetall our operationally proven UAV systems to the German Armed Forces. Our fruitful cooperation with Rheinmetall allows for the integration of the two companies' capabilities to the benefit of both of our customers, and presents new marketing opportunities of UAVs and other airborne systems." The Heron UAV can carry a wide variety of sensors and information systems for gathering data for intelligence analysis to protect the friendly forces during operations in theatre. Depending on its mission configuration, the sensor package provided to the German Armed Forces includes a day/night electro-optical and SAR payload. By utilizing satellite communications the system covers the whole area of operations of the German ISAF contingent. With a wingspan of 16.6 meters and a takeoff weight of 1,200 kg, the Heron can reach an altitude of 30,000 feet and can loiter for over 24 hours. The Canadian, Australian and French Armed Forces are already relying on the Heron as one of their main ISR sources in Afghanistan. All logistical and maintenance services for the German Heron system will be performed by Rheinmetall Defence, which will operate a 24/7 maintenance and support centre in the theatre. About IAI / MALAT: MALAT division of IAI's Military Aircraft Group spearheads the design and manufacture of unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs) systems. MALAT offers a family of systems that vary in size, endurance, mission profile and onboard sensors, covering the full spectrum of operational requirements by providing micro and mini systems as well as tactical and Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) systems. MALAT's systems are in operational service with more than 40 worldwide customers deployed on four continents and have accumulated over 500.000 flight hours.

DTN News: Israel Drones To Be Used By Germany In Afghanistan

DTN News: Israel Drones To Be Used By Germany In Afghanistan *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) JERUSALEM, Israel - October 29, 2009: Israel Aerospace Industries said Wednesday it would supply unmanned spy planes to Germany that will see action in Afghanistan early next year.An Israeli army Heron unmanned drone aircraft, used for surveillance missions, flies during a display at the Palmahim Air Force Base, Israel. Israel Aerospace Industries said Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009 that it will supply unmanned spy planes to Germany that will see action in Afghanistan early next year. The Heron drones will be deployed by the German air force in northern Afghanistan in early 2010 for reconnaissance missions, the company said in a statement. It would not reveal how many drones were sold or for how much but said it was a multimillion dollar deal. Germany's Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement confirmed it had signed an agreement to purchase the aircraft. Israeli drones have previously been supplied to coalition forces to gather intelligence data on Islamic militants in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Heron is Israel's largest surveillance drone, with a 54-foot wingspan and an ability to fly for as long as 30 hours at a time at a speed of 140 mph (225.3 kph) and a height of 30,000 feet (9,144 meters).

DTN News: Germany To Deploy Israeli-Built Drones In Afghanistan

DTN News: Germany To Deploy Israeli-Built Drones In Afghanistan *Sources: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) PARIS, France - June 18, 2009: Germany plans to buy Israeli unmanned spotter aircraft for deployment in Afghan airspace from the beginning of next year, the German Defense Ministry said. The Heron or Machatz-1 is an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle developed by the Malat (UAV) division of Israel Aerospace Industries. It is capable of Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) operations of up to 52 hours' duration at up to 35,000 feet. It has demonstrated 52 hours of continuous flight, but the effective operational maximal flight duration is less, due to payload and flight profile. There is a new version, Heron TP, also known as Eitan (UCAV). On September 11, 2005 it was announced that the Israel Defence Forces purchased US$50 million worth of Heron systems. The IDF's designation of the Heron is Machatz-1.

Heron can carry an array of sensors, including infra-red and visible-light surveillance, intelligence systems (COMINT and ELINT) and various radar systems, totaling up to 250 kg. Heron is also capable of target acquisition and artillery adjustment. The payload sensors communicate with the ground control station in real-time, using either direct line of sight data link, or via an airborne/satellite relay. Like the navigation system, the payload can also be used in either a fully pre-programmed autonomous mode, or manual real-time remote operation, or a combination of both. Negotiations will start with Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd., the state-owned maker of the drones, and Rheinmetall AG, the Dusseldorf-based company that would adapt them for use in the German armed forces, the Berlin-based ministry said today in an e-mailed statement. “Being up to date is of decisive importance for our mission,” Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung said in the statement. “It improves our ability to decide and act and most of all we’re improving the protection for our soldiers.” Germany opted for Israeli technology over that of the U.S. or Europe. Boeing Co., the second-largest U.S. defense contractor, is the maker of ScanEagle drones, while European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. is still developing its Barracuda drone. Germany, in choosing IAI’s Heron 1 system, decided to use “a readily available unmanned aerial vehicle” for Afghanistan, the ministry said. IAI, which also makes satellites, may sell shares to the public to pay for expansion abroad if the company can overcome government reluctance, Chairman Yair Shamir said in an interview at the Paris Air Show. IAI wants to invest more in Latin America, where it has a joint venture with Brazil’s Synergy Group, and Asia, where it’s working with Tata Advanced Systems of India, Shamir said today. Germany has about 3,380 troops in Afghanistan, the third biggest military contribution after the U.S. and U.K. to NATO’s efforts to combat Taliban insurgents. Predator drones, the most widely used drones by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan, are made by closely held General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. of San Diego.