IAI Heron TP

Heron TP or Heron 2 or Eitan
(as designated by the Israeli Air Force IAF). TP apparently stands for turbo-prop, i.e. turboprop. It is based on the smaller Heron (Mahatz).


The Heron TP is classified as a MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance). The basic requirement was reconnaissance from altitude and high endurance - up to several days.


The asset is capable of performing a wider range of tasks, in addition to its primary mission, which is ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Reconnaissance), tasks that include missile defence support and aerial refuelling. The primary advantages are multi-functionality, high endurance, and also the long range of the systems carried, which allows surveillance of the area even at great distances beyond Israel's borders without the asset being threatened by enemy air defenses.
The asset is able to operate even in adverse weather conditions (unlike, say, the Predator) and is capable of carrying a variety of sensors, so it can perform a multitude of tasks.
The development was conducted under the Israeli Ministry of Defence programme and the first flight took place on 15 July 2006 in Israel. However, the publication of the program has only now occurred, in mid-2007, when the vehicle is ready for mass production, according to the manufacturer IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries). The actual development took place in the Malat division. When analyzing the performance of the vehicle, it is a bit surprising that it is officially referred to as a MALE category, as its performance is somewhat outside of it.


The length of the vehicle is 14 metres, the span is 26 metres. Maximum take-off weight is 4650 kg. Propulsion is provided by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop engine with 1,200 horsepower. The reason for installing such a powerful engine is to achieve a long range (and probably a decent speed) of over 12,000 metres (about 40,000 to 45,000 ft), above normal commercial transport. The high flight altitude also requires the installation of a de-icing system.
Endurance reaches (with a full load) over 36 hours. The payload capacity is up to 1000 kg of sensors. These are located in several places - in the nose, the main equipment bay (which is close to the centre of gravity due to the twin tail spar concept) and in two compartments at the ends of the tail spars. There are also additional load carrying spaces inside the wings or under the wings where hangers can be added. This staggered placement of sensors can be an advantage as it allows the different systems to be well separated.
Communication is provided by several datalinks, both for line-of-sight communication and over longer distances when satellite communication is used. The main systems are triple backed up and the vehicle can land and take off autonomously. The avionics are based on electronics developed at RADA.

Sources:
http://defence-data.com/paris2007/page123.htm
http://defense-update-events.blogspot.com/
www.iai.co.il

Photos from Le Bourget 2007.
Author.

Photo Le Bourget 2007,
by Tomáš Berka

Photo Le Bourget 2007,
by Tomáš Berka