Heron 1 completes one year in Mali
The Heron 1 UAS has completed one year of flight operations for the German Bundeswehr in Mali.
The UAS, which is stationed at the Gao air base as part of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), logged its 3,000th flight hour in November.
Heron has been flying in Mali since 1 November 2016, provided, operated and maintained under a joint operator model between the Bundeswehr and Airbus Defence and Space as part of a contract signed in June 2016.
Three Herons are stationed at the air base in Gao in Northeast Mali, from where the aircraft perform reconnaissance missions mainly focused on crisis regions at ranges up to 800km. The reconnaissance results are made available to the Joint Mission Analysis Centre for the MINUSMA mission.
IAI’s Heron 1 aircraft has a wingspan of 17 metres and a maximum mission endurance of over 24 hours. The UAS’ military task include detecting IEDs from the air, accompanying convoys and patrols, assisting forces in combat situations, reconnoitring and surveilling routes, establishing movement profiles, long-term monitoring, supporting situation assessments and protecting property and military camps.
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