Indian government has approved purchase of armed Israeli IAI built Heron TP medium altitude, long range (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle, ...
Indian government has approved purchase of armed Israeli IAI built Heron TP medium altitude, long range (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle, according to Indian new outlet Economic Times.
The $400 million deal to acquire 10 Heron TP UAVs armed with ground attack missiles, will bolster India's cross border attack capability, the report says.
The Heron TP will be the first armed drone in the Indian arsenal, which already operates Israeli origin IAI Heron and Searcher UAVs in intelligence gathering and surveillance roles along its coastal and border regions.
IAF also operates the Harpy attack loitering munition, which is a highly flexible, self destructing attack UCAV, with loitering capability.
With a maximum weight of 4650 kg, the Heron TP can carry a 1000 kg payload, and reach altitudes up to 14 km, due to its 1200 hp Pratt & Whitney PT6A turboprop engine and large wings. The UAV is reported to have very high endurance of more than 70 hours.
The all weather capable Heron TP features, automatic take off and landing, de-icing system and triple redundant avionics.
Like the Heron and Super Heron UAVs, the fuselage can carry a wide range of surveillance sensors, as the landing gear retracts to the twin tail booms.
Reports suggest India might uses these armed UAVs to revenge Pakistani terror attacks in India by taking out terror camps in the Pak occupied Kashmir. As being unmanned platforms these cross border strikes will not escalate into a full scale war.
India is also developing a indigenous MALE UAV named Rustom 2, with attack capability, maiden flight of which has been delayed several times.
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