With the outbreak of Iron Swords War on October 7th, 2023, the air crews of Heron and Heron TP UAS were among the first to take to the skies in the Southwestern Negev and the Gaza envelope settlements, attempting to stop Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel. The UASs were among the first responders, allowing the high command to start understanding the complex situation imposed on Israel.
Heron UAS: An Operational Advantage from Above
Meanwhile, some of the aircraft were directed to thwart the attack and gain situational awareness vis-a-vis terrorists who had penetrated Israeli territory, using their surveillance and intelligence gathering capabilities to prepare for the next stage of battle.
In the following weeks and months, the Air Force squadrons maintained a high operational pace through the advanced capabilities of the Herons. Prolonged endurance, long ranges, a high level of autonomy, and multi-mission capabilities are the hallmarks of the Heron family UAS’s, regularly patrolling across the Middle East on behalf of the IDF, within the country, along its borders, and even further than the eye and imagination can guess or estimate.
The air crews operating these UAS are intimately familiar with these arenas. Although they are not physically present on the ground below, they know every path, every bush, and every rock. From the moment they enter the control shelter and stick to their stations, their headphones on, and log into the system, they are ‘transported’ to the scene of action, like in a science fiction movie – but in real life.
Heron at the Service of Ground Forces: A Story of Intimate Collaboration
Throughout the many weeks of fighting in the Gaza Strip, where ground forces of infantry, special units, and armored units operate, the Heron series warriors are always there, providing real-time intelligence backup, observation, and extensive information gathering about the enemy’s movements, in direct contact with the commanders on the ground, in teamwork that sometimes seems as if the air crew operating the UAS and the commanders in the field have known each other for many years. This close collaboration ensures safe and precise ground force operations at all hours, along with directing strikes on designated terror targets that need to be addressed. Working closely with the Israeli ground and naval forces allows for progress in action and literally saves lives. The air crew of the UAV are on the battlefield, even though they are physically in the control trailer far from the combat zone.
IAI, supporting the Heron flights from day one, is an active partner of the Israeli Air Force personnel, and sometimes a visit to the UAS squadron will introduce you to a Heron operator who is extremely familiar with the aircraft, because in his regular job, he is a UAS engineer at IAI, and in his reserve duty, he operates UAS – a unique double-hat dynamic for IAI and the IDF.
The human dimension behind unmanned operations
The Heron and Heron TP stand out among the Air Force’s MALE UAS due to their long endurance and multi-payload capacity, allowing missions to last for several days and almost without range limitation. The rotation among crews every few hours ensures that the teams are refreshed and ready for the mission, always allowing continuity and readiness for deployment.
Each UAS operating team includes a pilot and an intelligence analyst. Their efficient control stations seem incongruous compared to the dust, shocks, and sounds of battle. However, they are fully immersed and experience events in real time, though without being exposed to direct physical risk. This operational perspective reflects the global shift towards distancing soldiers from tedious and dangerous tasks better performed through remote teamwork. The air crews remotely flying the aircraft and managing its’ systems, the ground crews preparing each aircraft, and the maintenance teams caring for the fleet to ensure flawless performance in all weather and altitudes– all represent the human dimension behind unmanned operations, with all team members undergoing extensive training by the Air Force’s UAS Academy, a unique long-term training for the Air Force.
The strong combination of the human force behind such an efficient operation, proven time and again, with a smart autonomous vehicle, cutting-edge technology, will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most impressive capabilities of the IDF in the Iron Swords War. From intensive defence efforts following the surprise attack, to close escort and shoulder-to-shoulder work with the military forces, the Heron series served as the spearhead and the glue connecting the various military branches. With close support and uncompromising assistance of training, engineering, and development, IAI teams don’t wait for the end of the war to learn from the field and already plan the next system updates and upgrades solutions for the next generations of the UAS.
