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Coincidental with the news during the Avalon show that the Australian government has sent personnel to the United States to commence training on the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper MUAS, Israel Aircraft Industries revealed that it has conducted initial discussions with the RAAF regarding the potential of its Heron TP medium altitude long endurance unmanned aerial system.

Australia currently operates the Heron 1 UAS, which has recently returned from operations in Afghanistan and is now being used to inform the future acquisition of future unmanned aerial systems, including the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton high altitude long endurance (HALE) UAS, which will be acquired under Project Air 7000 phase 1B.

Although there is no program of record at the present time, the Abbott government is expected to include a MALE UAS replacement for the existing Heron I in the Defence White Paper and subsequent Defence Capability Plan, due to be released mid-year.

Heron TP is a 5.3 tonne (11,600 lb) platform which is already in service with the Israeli Air Force and capable of carrying a one-tonne (2200lb) payload.

Doron Horesh, senior director and head of international marketing Asia-Pacific said IAI was keen to offer Heron TP to the Australian Defence Force as an alternative to the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper.

“We believe it is a very cost-effective alternative for the Australian Defence Force,” Horesh said. “It is capable of carrying larger payloads and a larger range of payloads than Heron I and it has a different and wider mission set.”

Horesh would not reveal whether Heron TP was capable of being armed, but pointed to the one tonne payload capability.

Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Geoff Brown has previously expressed an interest in an armed UAS and said during the Avalon show that a range of capabilities were being considered by a force structure review as part of the White Paper process.

“We’ve got to work out what the funding envelope is and a MALE UAV is definitely in that mix (but) it has to survive the prioritisation,” he said. “And I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be armed.”

 

This article first appeared in Australian Defence Magazine VOL.23 No.4, April 2015

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