(Photo By: Israel Aerospace Industries)
By: Yaakov Lappin - January 11, 2021
A contract recently signed to lease a cutting-edge Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that was developed and manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to assist in European Union border protection missions represents a major step in the use of the technology in the civilian sphere, a company executive has told JNS.
In November, IAI announced that it had won a tender, together with Airbus, potentially worth tens of millions of dollars for the leasing of its Maritime Heron UAV to Frontex, which is the European Union’s Border and Coast Guard Agency.
IAI and Airbus will be responsible for the full service of naval patrols, flight equipment and maintenance for four years in southern European countries, with a focus on surveilling the Mediterranean Sea region.
The Israeli Navy uses this same system for many of its own surveillance and intelligence-gathering missions.
Read More: JNS