India set to buy 50 Israeli Heron-1 long-endurance reconnaissance UAVs in reported $500 million deal

BANGALORE, India – India reportedly has agreed to buy 50 Israeli Heron long-range reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for $500 million. The Algemeiner reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

26 Feb. 2019 -- The deal reportedly will see Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) sell a fleet of Heron-1 medium-altitude UAVs to the Indian Air Force. This would be the second such purchase, and talks between India and IAI have been ongoing for several years due to political complications in India.

As in previous arms deals between the two countries, one-third of the $500 million would be spent in India itself. In recent years there has been furious competition between American and Israeli companies over foreign drone sales, with America’s General Atomics and Israel’s Elbit Systems being the primary rivals.

The Israeli military already uses the Heron-1 -- known in the military by the name Shoval -- mainly for reconnaissance and intelligence collection. The UAV has a wingspan of 56 feet and can fly as high as 35,000 feet for nearly two days without landing.

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John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics

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