Indian Army Leases 4 Heron UAVs from Israel 

Indian Army has leased 4 Heron TP medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) from Israel for 3 years. The leases were done under the emergency procurement programme of the Indian army.

• The drones made by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will be delivered between August & September 2021.
• The estimated cost of Leasings is USD 200 Million; the leasing agreement can be further extended up to 2 years.
• The UAVs will be deployed along with the 3, 448 Km long India-China border.

HERON UAV

• It is designed to perform reconnaissance & surveillance operations.
• It can fly at a maximum speed of 207 Km/hr.
• The altitude & range of the Heron UAV are 30, 000 ft & 350 Km.
• The maximum endurance of the aircraft is 45 hours.

2nd Contract under DAP 2020

• It is the 2nd significant contract under the provision of Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 (DAP 2020).
• In November 2020, India had inducted two American high-altitude long endurance drones into the Indian Navy. The Sea Guardian UAVs are unarmed versions of the Predator series.

‘Emergency Powers’

Under ‘Emergency Powers’, the Indian Armed Forces (all 3 services) can buy any weapon system under INR 500 Crore per procurement project for ‘urgent’ requirements.These emergency powers, given by the government in the wake of the situation in Ladakh.

Recent Related News:

i.On November 25, 2020, the Indian Navy inducted two ‘MQ-9B Sea Guardian’ unarmed drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles – UAV) procured from the United States (U.S.) on lease.

About Israel:

Prime Minister- Benjamin Netanyahu
Capital– Jerusalem
Currency– Israeli Shekel