Wed, Jan 25, 2023
Again
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) grounded its fleet of armed IAI Heron-1 drones after a specimen of the medium-altitude long-endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was damaged during takeoff on Saturday, 21 January 2023.
The incident occasioned the third fleetwide grounding of the Heron-1—known within Israeli military circles as the Shoval (Hebrew “Path”)—in the last four months.
In a statement, the IAF set forth: “A Shoval drone was damaged during takeoff earlier this morning. There were no injuries and the incident will be investigated. The commander of the Air Force, Major General Tomer Bar, ordered that the Shoval fleet be grounded until the end of the investigation of the incident.”
The IAF further disclosed that the damaged drone was to be repaired.
In November 2022, a Heron-1 went down near the southern Israeli city of Arad. The accident’s vexing nature compelled IAF brass to ground the service’s entire Heron-I fleet for one-month pending repair of an ostensibly faulty flight control component to which the mishap was ultimately ascribed.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have lost numerous Heron-1 drones in accidents attributed to varying malfunctions. In September 2022, a fleetwide grounding of the vehicle was enacted after a Heron-1 plunged into the Mediterranean Sea along Israel’s northerly maritime border with Lebanon. The contraption was salvaged by the Israeli Navy.
The causes of the November 2022 and January 2023 Heron-1 accidents appear to differ.
While the Israeli government has not disclosed the number of drones in its arsenal, the IDF has conceded that drone flights account for approximately eighty-percent of the Israeli Air Force’s total yearly operational flight hours.
More News
Improvement Brings LSA to Poland, Germany, & Hungary Czech LSA manufacturer Direct Fly has given its low-wing, tricycle geared LSA an upgrade, with a bump to a max takeoff weig>[...]
Also: Midnight eVTOL Certification, Falcon 9 Record, Pro Line Fusion, Europa Clipper The warbird community celebrated Mark Novak, Chief Pilot of their B-29 'Doc', and his accomplis>[...]
From 2016 (YouTube Version): A VW Bug Engine Conversion Has Matured Into an Engine for the Airplane Homebuilder… While at EAA AirVenture 2016, ANN News Editor, Tom Patton, v>[...]
Large Heavy-Duty Deer Feed Bag Obstructed The Radiator Inlet And Restricted Its Designed Cooling Capability Analysis: Before departing on the local area flight in the experimental >[...]
The Project Looks Promising Enough for Procurement Already, but the Order isn't Firm Yet XTI Aerospace announced that Mesa Airlines has placed an investment-cum-order into their co>[...]