#Heron surveillance drones

[athena5898]

Axis of Resistance Summary: September 7, 2024 Al-Aqsa Flood's Harvest of Good Tidings

📍YEMEN Yemeni Armed Forces 🔻Shot down US MQ9 aircraft as it carried out hostile acts in Marib governorate airspace

📍”NETZARIM” AXIS, GAZA CITY Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades 🔻Targeted soldiers & vehicles with 107mm rockets + heavy caliber mortars

📍NABLUS, WEST BANK Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades 🔻Targeted military post on “Mount Gerizim” south of Nablus with machine guns

📍NORTHERN OCCUPIED INTERIOR Hezbollah 🔻Bombarded Golan Brigade HQ at "Mount Neria" base with Katyusha rocket barrages 🔻Targeted soldiers stationed around the "Manot" settlement with rockets 🔻Bombed "Mishar" base main intelligence HQ with Katyusha rocket volleys

📍BORDERLANDS Hezbollah 🔻Targeted "Hadab Yaroun" site with artillery 🔻Directly hit Rahib site with artillery 🔻Directly hit surveillance equipment at "Misgav Am" site with appropriate weapons: destroyed 🔻Directly hit Al-Marj site with artillery

📍OCCUPIED LEBANESE KFAR SHUBA HILLS Hezbollah 🔻Directly hit Samaqa site with appropriate weapons

Hezbollah: Lebanese Brigades for Resisting the "Israeli" Occupation 🔻Directly hit Ruwaisat al-Alam site with appropriate weapons

The Lebanese Brigades pledge to our people to continue the resistance until victory and liberation.

📍SOUTH LEBANON Hezbollah 🔻Air Defense Unit fighters targeted zionist "Heron" drone with surface-to-air missile in the skies of Bekaa area, preventing it from completing its goals & forcing it to leave Lebanese airspace

[faradic123]

Different Types of Drones- An Analysis

Drones are aero gadgets which have been in use for a while and have various purposes, use cases and consumer base. From combat to research, photography to recreation, there are drones for everyone in various prices and sizes. Before going into the details of the types of drones, it is important to know, assemble and maintain the basic parts of a drone like propellers, batteries, motors and electronic speed controllers in various capacities.

Types of Drones

Some types of drones based on functionality are –

Photography Drones

These are lightweight drones attached with high-definition digital cameras to take aerial shots and shots of spaces not accessible to humans, through remote control, hence securing their importance in the lives of cinematographers, military personnel and amateur photographers. Multirotor drones are generally used to carry out photography with drones for a balanced flight, whereas in cases where longer flight times are required, single rotor drones are used. The categories of drones used for this purpose is generally VTOL (vertical take-off and landing), however they can be adjusted to horizontal flight modes. As the tasks involved in photography a lot of retakes, we should have a stock of good drone batteries.

Reconnaissance Drones

Slightly larger in size, reconnaissance drones are used as both non-combat and combat drones. These drones are among the most commonly employed by militaries around the world. The IAI Heron and the LUNA are both classified as reconnaissance drones. Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) and High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drones are the types of Reconnaissance Drones.

Tactical Drones

These are non-combat drones that are primarily used in the military for surveillance. These drones are equipped with GPS and infrared cameras, which helps in gathering data in unknown territories during the night and places ravaged by natural disasters.  Tactical drones are typically lightweight and relatively smaller in size. Examples of tactical drones are the RQ-11B Raven and the Lemur 2.

Combat Drones

Combat drones are huge and allow military forces to conduct aerial warfare and military strikes without risking the life of a human pilot. These weaponized aircrafts are equipped with bombs or missiles. Variants such as the Predator and Reaper, used by the US, are around 36 ft long and able to fire on targets with air-to-surface missiles and laser-guided bombs. These drones have been unfortunately used throughout history to conduct terrorist activities. These units can operate for 14 hours over a range of a thousand miles. China has manufactured its own version of combat drones, the CH-4. Combat drones are also used as decoy drones in a number of cases, depending on the mission. They are ideally drones with a longer flight time than recreational drones.

Cargo Drones

These drones are designed to transport goods over short to medium distances. In large countries such as USA and Australia they can be used for delivery of consumer packages, medical supplies, and other payloads, especially in areas with limited infrastructure or during emergencies. In a large scale, such delivery methods may be cost effective and automated. Amazon has used MK27-2 hexacopters to deliver packages that weighed less than five pounds to residents in College Station, Texas, and Lockeford, California.

Underwater Drones (ROVs): They are used for marine exploration, underwater inspections, and research. Also known as Submarine drones or Remotely Operated Vehicles. They can explore the ocean and come in two different varieties: tethered and untethered. Tethered underwater drones relay real-time data, such as video, to the source at the other end of the cable attached, without losing connection. Untethered underwater ROVs share similar capabilities but cannot travel as far below without losing signal.

Mini and Nano Drones

In today's world there is no use of a gadget if it is not micro sized. Mini drones, also known as micro drones or small drones, measure at about the size of your hand. Not to be mistaken for a child’s toy, the six-inch Black Hornet have been used in combat and invasion.

Nano Drones are extremely small drones, designed for indoor use or close-range reconnaissance in limited cases. They are known for their stealth and skilled movements.

[heavenlyyshecomes]

Starting in May 2021, after testing in Crete in 2018, the Airbus-run Israel Aerospace Industries Heron drone became a tool for Frontex, the European Union (EU) border agency, in its battle to keep refugees away from the continent’s mainland. “It’s almost impossible to cross the Mediterranean [as a migrant],” said Felix Weiss, head of airborne operations for the German NGO Sea-Watch, a group working to assist in the rescue of migrants. “Frontex has become a militarized actor, its equipment coming from war zones.” […] And whereas once naval patrol boats rescued migrants in distress, unmanned drones are the new contactless form of surveillance. Economic researcher Shir Hever has investigated the Israeli presence in the EU and says that the growing use of drones, including those from Israel, has a clear political aim. “Drones cannot rescue anyone and they can only take pictures,” he told me. “If an actual armed boat or suspicious looking vessel is approaching, the drone operator alerts a patrol boat, which will arrive at the scene, but if it looks like a leaky refugee boat, the drone operator could always take his time, and the patrol boat will leave too late so that there is no one left to save. This is the key difference and the real reason that the drones are a technological upgrade for the coastguard—it gives them the option to let refugees drown.”

—Antony Loewenstein, The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World

[hamslivenews]

According to the media reports, the squadron operating the Heron Mark 2 drones is known as the ‘Warden of the North’ and has been engaged in conducting surveillance operations along the borders adjoining both China and Pakistan. These drones have been outfitted with satellite communication connections and stand as the most cutting-edge aerial vehicles within the Indian military. Adding to India's defence capabilities, the Indian Air Force has inducted the new Heron Mark 2 drones on August 13. This drone has the capabilities to carry out surveillance along the borders of China and Pakistan in a single sortie and will be operating from a forward air base in the northern sector.  “The Heron Mark 2 is a very capable drone. This is capable of longer endurance and has ‘beyond line of sight’ capability. With this, the entire country can be surveilled from the same place. The drone simply amalgamates into the Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance matrix of the Indian Air Force,” the commanding officer of the drone squadron, Wing Commander Pankaj Rana said while speaking to ANI. These four recently introduced drones have significantly enhanced the capabilities of the Indian Air Force. Their remarkable ability to remain airborne for a continuous 36-hour period makes them invaluable for conducting numerous surveillance missions across different sectors consecutively.  These high-endurance drones also possess an additional feature which is the capability to remotely illuminate enemy targets using lasers from considerable distances. This functionality greatly assists fighter aircraft in effectively eliminating these designated targets. As per sources, the drone has the capacity for weaponization, and the ongoing efforts to equip these drones with weapons are in progress. According to the media reports, the squadron operating the Heron Mark 2 drones is known as the ‘Warden of the North’ and has been engaged in conducting surveillance operations along the borders adjoining both China and Pakistan. These drones have been outfitted with satellite communication connections and stand as the most cutting-edge aerial vehicles within the Indian military. Squadron Leader Arpit Tandon, who serves as a pilot for the Heron Mark 2 drone, highlighted that the upgraded iteration of the Heron drone offers numerous benefits in comparison to its earlier versions, which began being introduced into the Indian Air Force in the early 2000s. The squadron leader further informed, "The payloads and the onboard avionics of the Heron Mark 2 can operate at sub-zero temperatures and in any weather condition. This is helping the Indian Air Force achieve footprints over any type of terrain."

[vilaspatelvlogs]

अमेरिकी असॉल्ट राइफलों के बाद अब इजरायल से एंटी टैंक गाइडेड मिसाइल और हेरोन ड्रोन खरीदने का ऑर्डर

अमेरिकी असॉल्ट राइफलों के बाद अब इजरायल से एंटी टैंक गाइडेड मिसाइल और हेरोन ड्रोन खरीदने का ऑर्डर

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तीनों सेनाएं पिछले कुछ सालों से हेरॉन ड्रोन का इस्तेमाल कर रही, यह एक बार में दो दिन तक उड़ सकता है

पिछले साल बालाकोट एयरस्ट्राइक के बाद इजरायल से स्पाइक एंटी टैंक गाइडेड मिसाइल की एक खेप भारत को मिली थी

डीआरडीओ भी पोर्टेबल एंटी टैंक गाइडेट मिसाइल विकसित कर रहा, इससे 50 हजार मिसाइलों की जरूरतों को पूरा किया जा सकेगा

दैनिक भास्कर

Jul 14, 2020, 09:18 PM IST

नई दिल्ली. पूर्वी लद्दाख में…

[tezlivenews]

मिसाइलें, बम...'इजरायली ब्रह्मास्‍त्र' से बेदम होगा चीनी ड्रैगन, भारत आ रहे हेरोन ड्रोन

मिसाइलें, बम…’इजरायली ब्रह्मास्‍त्र’ से बेदम होगा चीनी ड्रैगन, भारत आ रहे हेरोन ड्रोन

लद्दाख में भारत और चीन में बढ़ते तनाव के बीच भारतीय सेना ने अपनी तैयारी को पुख्‍ता करना तेज कर दिया है। भारत ने इजरायल से 4 हेरोन मार्क-2 ड्रोन खरीदा है। भारत पहले से ही हेरोन ड्रोन का इस्‍तेमाल करता रहा है लेकिन ये 4 ड्रोन अपग्रेड वर्जन हैं और इसमें लेजर गाइडेड बम और मिसाइलें भी लगाई जा सकती हैं। माना जा रहा है कि भारत इस ड्रोन को लद्दाख में तैनात करेगा। इजरायली ड्रोन विमान के लिए इस साल जनवरी…

[usafphantom2]

Luftwaffe will get the largest share of Germany's defense increase of 100 billion euros

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 06/04/2022 - 16:34 in Military

This week, the German government coalition agreed that the special fund announced by Chancellor Olaf Scholz will provide the German military forces with an investment of 100 billion euros, with more than 40% of this amount allocated to the German Air Force (Luftwaffe).

The parties involved with the Bundestag (German Parliament) received the economic plan, which lists exactly which weapons projects should be financed and in what amount of the old special fund.

With 40.9 billion euros, most of the funds go to air projects, which are grouped in the chapter "Dimension Luft". This term has been agreed, since not only the German Air Force, but also the Army and Navy will receive investments from this budget item to finance their air programs.

Within the "Air Dimension", the acquisition of up to 35 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II as successor to the Panavia Tornado, as well as the development and purchase of up to 15 Eurofighter ECR for electronic combat, represent the majority. The acquisition of these aircraft has already been specifically addressed in March of this year. The F-35A Lightning II becomes the first poaching of the German Air Force. The role as an ECR fighter is new. The industry has not yet developed, produced and qualified this version of Eurofighter. Germany has the NATO alliance's obligation to provide NATO with ECR capabilities, if necessary, so in any case, it needs a successor to the Luftwaffe ECR Tornado.

Eurofighter must receive new investments to replace Tornadoes.

This week, the successor to the CH-53G/S as a heavy transport helicopter was decided in favor of the CH-57F Chinook. After the BAAINBw (Federal Office of Equipment, Information Technology and Use of the Bundeswehr) interrupted the tender for the award of the new type of helicopter in September, on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Defense (BMVg), claiming that the offers submitted by the two manufacturers are not economical, enough money is now available for purchase thanks to the

The army needs a light support helicopter and wants to introduce an H145M class helicopter. The German Air Force is already flying 15 H145M, which are mainly used for Bundeswehr special forces.

The Navy will receive money from the item "Dimension Luft" for the purchase of more maritime reconnaissance assets. By the end of September 2021, she had already ordered five Boeing P-8A Poseidon through a bilateral business between governments (Foreign Military Sales), between the federal government and the U.S. government. But this number has already been considered very low in advance. The acquisition of additional aircraft significantly strengthens the capacity for underwater defense and maritime surveillance and reconnaissance.

Other allocations of 19.3 billion euros for the navy and 16.6 billion euros for the army will see the purchase of new ships and submarines and the development of a successor to the Marder infantry combat vehicle, as well as the construction of a space-based early warning system, as shown in the document.

Investments from the special fund also flow to the German-French-Spanish project FCAS (Future Combat Air System), for new radars, a new air position guidance system, ground air defense and Heron TP drone weaponry.

Artistic conception of the FCAS.

With the 100 billion package, politicians show after Russia's attack on Ukraine that it also wants to equip the Bundeswehr according to its national alliance and defense mission. Now it is up to the industry to provide the services and products that still need to be agreed in the contract in time and with the necessary specifications. And the Bundeswehr faces the challenge of not underestimating the integration of the new systems quickly in order to be able to use them effectively.

Tags: Military AviationBundeswehrLuftwaffe - German Air Force

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in a specialized aviation magazine in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation

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[if-you-fan-a-fire]

[A long but very thorough read on Fortress Europe’s use of drones and automated data gathering, large scale research projects, the military industrial complex of Europe and Israel in the Meditterean, European interventionism in Libya, and the militarized surveillance of Europe. The image is a tethered aerostat being launched. Image: Thomas Hawk, CC BY-NC 2.0 ]

The growing use of drones and other long-range, increasingly-automated forms of surveillance and data collection are part of the militarisation of Europe’s borders in the Mediterranean, which have led to thousands of unnecessary deaths and push- and pull-backs to Libya, where migrants and refugees face arbitrary detention, violence, mistreatment and torture. This article, by the journalist Antonio Mazzeo, chronicles investments into and tests and deployments of drone technology by EU and national agencies in the Mediterranean.

War against migrants with Israeli drones On 20 October 2020, The Guardian gave the news that Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, had entrusted aerospace giant Airbus and two Israeli companies with an “aerial maritime surveillance” service using drones to intercept migrant vessels crossing the Mediterranean. Operations should commence in the first months of 2021, following test trials that the contractors will undertake in the Greek island of Crete. Two contracts were signed, both of them for a value of 50 million Euros: the first one with the consortium Airbus – Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and the second one with Elbit Systems Ltd., based in Haifa.[1]

This news was confirmed by the authoritative Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post, which also provided unpublished details of the agreement. In particular, it was revealed that Israel Aerospace Industries, the main holding company of the Israeli military-industrial complex, will lease a remote-piloted aircraft for mid-altitude and long-range operations, MALE RPAS (Medium Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aerial System), “Heron” class. “The agreement with the Frontex agency of the European Union has the goal of ensuring a maritime patrol and coastal protection service”, The Jerusalem Post reported. “This confirms the trust in the performance of the Heron naval drone that was already tested in Crete in 2018 and in many other operations by the Israeli armed forces”.

The flight routes to be used for flight activities of the pilotless aircraft will be identified within European air space in agreement with the agencies responsible for regulating civilian air traffic. “Being able to fly in European civilian air space is an important step for our industrial group and concrete evidence of the ability of our remote piloting system to move within civilian routes”, declared Moshe Levy, general manager of the aerospace sector of Israel Aerospace Industries. “I am sure,” Levy added, “that this contract will open the gates for other markets in the civilian commercial field for us”.[2]

The terms of reference and the goals of the two contracts signed on 1 October can be viewed online. The first has as its first contractor Airbus DS Airborne Solutions GmbH of Bremen (Germany), a company controlled by Airbus Defence and Space, the military aerospace division of the Airbus group.[3] The contractor will have to provide a Remotely Piloted Aerial System (RPAS) platform with the connected equipment for communications, the collection and transfer of data to a remote portal, mission memorisation, control and assistance by drone operators via radio and satellite connections.

“The service will be provided in Greece, and/or in Italy and/or Malta with the modalities that will be provided in the agreement that will be detailed between Frontex and the contractor”, Frontex explained. “The contract worth €50 million excluding VAT may be entrusted to a subcontractor for up to a quota of 60%, with the provision of an aerial remote-controlled system, satellite telecommunications services and spare equipment for replacements, aircraft maintenance and the formation and training of Airbus DS personnel”.

The European aerospace giant’s choice of the Heron maritime surveillance drone was determined by the aircraft’s technical specifications and by its performance attained during deployment in war theatres and in the maintenance of public order by the Israeli Defence Forces and police forces. Drones from the Heron series have mainly been used against the Palestinian population. In a June 2009 report, the US NGO Human Rights Watch documented the use of Heron aircraft during the Israeli attack on Gaza at the end of 2008 and the start of 2009 (Operation Molten Lead), in which dozens of civilians were killed.[4]

Heron aircraft are also used by the German army in Afghanistan through a leasing contract with Airbus that, as we have seen, is the “European partner” of IAI. However, the drone’s performance on the Afghan chessboard has raised more than a few eyebrows among the military and political forces because, to date, four aircraft have already “gone missing” in missions due to various types of technical incidents. The last of these was in mid-November 2020: a Heron of the Bundeswehr (German Army) crashed in an uninhabited area to the east of Mazar-i-Sharif during an attempted emergency landing.[5]

The pilotless aircraft produced by Israel Aerospace Industries can fly without interruption for 24 hours at an altitude of 35,000 feet, in any atmospheric conditions. It has an operative range of 1,000 miles and, apart from undertaking intelligence and surveillance missions, it can be used for missile strikes against targets on land and at sea. Airbus has assured that the leased aircraft will not be able to carry weapons and that it will be entirely painted white, bearing the symbols of the Frontex agency. The RPAS will be equipped with electro-optical systems for daytime missions and infra-red systems for night missions; a radar for maritime patrolling provided, again, by IAI; and real-time communication and information transfer equipment. This platform will use a direct connection for flights within the Line of Sight (LOS) and a satellite connection for flights Beyond [the] Line of Sight (BLOS), while the information collected will be transferred to the Frontex command and control centre and to the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centres of EU countries’ coast guard authorities.

The cost, conditions and operative goals in the second contract for “maritime aerial surveillance” are identical.[6] It was signed by Frontex with Elbit Systems Ltd, a leading company in the production of military drones, IT systems, telecommunications, command, control and intelligence, and for cyber wars.[7] The deployed pilotless aircraft will be the Hermes,  capable of flying for 36 hours at an altitude of 30,000 feet. This Israeli drone was tested in in late September 2020 by the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency, undertaking control and search-and-rescue operations in Welsh waters.

The Hermes is another attack drone that was used for the first time in conflict by the Israeli armed forces during Operative Protective Margin against Gaza (2014). The 900 version is larger and more advanced than the Hermes 450 used during the Israeli onslaught in 2008-09, once more, against inhabitants of the Gaza Strip. Elbit Systems’ pilotless aircraft were also used in Lebanon in 2006, causing the death of several civilians, including Red Cross staff. A Hermes was involved in the killing of four youngsters who were playing on a beach in Gaza on 16 August 2014.[8]

Leonardo-Finmeccanica is also involved in the EU’s drone affair In order to test the operative capabilities of drones for the surveillance of sea borders against migrant vessels coming from the African continent, in late 2017 Frontex signed another contract worth millions with IAI. Specifically, IAI provided a remotely piloted MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) aircraft to undertake flight operations lasting 600 hours during a six-month period in 2018. “The flight tests will take place in areas of the Mediterranean designated by Frontex in cooperation with one or more member states,” the call for tenders stated. The value of the contract was €6.45 million, excluding VAT. Frontex envisaged a contract with the Italian group Leonardo (formerly Finmeccanica) to provide a Falco EVO drone for maritime surveillance for 300 hours (again, for 180 days in 2018), at a cost of €2.25 million.[9]

In a statement on 27 September 2018, the Frontex press office explained that the use of remote-piloted aircraft to monitor the EU’s external borders had started around a week earlier. “Frontex is exploring the surveillance capabilities of medium-altitude and long endurance RPAS drones and evaluating its cost and efficiency”, the press release said, “the activities include maritime patrols, support for search-and-rescue operations, identifying vessels suspected of undertaking criminal activities like drugs and arms trafficking and exchanging information with multiple users in real time.”

The agency also added that drone tests were underway in Greece in coordination with the Greek Coast Guard and Air Force, and that they were about to comme nce in Italy, supported by the State Police and the Guardia di Finanza (customs and excise police). “The RPAS tested by Frontex can carry equipment like thermal cameras and radars”, the agency noted. “Tests in Greece and Italy will be completed this year. In Portugal, Frontex is using a smaller pilotless aircraft to monitor the North Atlantic Ocean alongside the European Maritime Safety Authority (EMSA), the National Republican Guard and the Portuguese Air Force and Navy.”[10]

The flight campaign involving the Falco EVO drones produced by Leonardo-Finmeccanica commenced on 6 December 2018 from the airport on the island of Lampedusa. “Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance – ISR – missions are planned by the Guardia di Finanza with the Interior Ministry’s coordination,” the managers of the military-industrial holding company noted. “In this context, the support provided by ENAC, the national civil aviation authority, and ENAV, the company responsible for civilian air traffic in Italy, was decisive, as was that of AST Aeroservizi, the company that manages the airport in Lampedusa. The Falco EVO, equipped with an infra-red high-definition optical system, a satellite data connection Beyond the Line of Sight and an advanced suite of on-board sensors that includes the Gabbiano TS Ultra Light radar for long-range day and night time missions, operates with Leonardo’s flight personnel and maintenance teams.”[11]

The drone, authorised to fly over Italian and Maltese civilian airspace, has been used in two military operations in the Sicilian Channel to intercept vessels carrying migrants. The first mission was undertaken on 20 June 2019 against a fishing boat from which 75 migrants, including three women and three minors, were transferred onto smaller vessels that then disembarked in Lampedusa. The second mission, on the following 26 June, saw the Falco Evo operate for 17 hours, 21 minutes consecutively, supporting an intervention by the Italian armed forces against two vessels that were navigating in the waters near the Pelagic Islands.[12]

The EU miracle of the multiplication of drones Thanks to the precious documentation work on relations between the EU and the Israeli military-industrial complex by the Coordination of pro-Palestinian Associations in Brussels, it has been possible to ascertain that the use of drones in the war against migrants and migrations at the EU’s external borders is far wider and more structured than it appears.

On 30 June 2020, in response to a parliamentary question by Miguel Urbàn Crespo MEP on drones leased from Elbit Systems (“a company accused of war crimes and human rights violations”[13]), the European Commission admitted that Lisbon-based company CeiiA had used Hermes 900 aircraft following the signature of a €59 million biannual contract with the EMSA.[14] The Hermes 900 started operating in June 2019 from the airport of Egilsstaðir in Iceland to monitor more than half of the Icelandic Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).[15] The managers of Elbit Systems explain that the drone for maritime patrolling and the related control land station had been purposely configured “to enable a constant monitoring of a vast maritime and coastal area and an effective identification of suspect activities and potential risks”.[16] Israeli aircraft were subsequently deployed in the Mediterranean.

“Two operations were operated by CeiiA: For the Icelandic Coast Guard during 119 days, from 24 April until 20 August 2019, when 62 flights performed over the sea at the Eastern part of Iceland, and [for] Frontex supporting the Hellenic Coast Guard with 34 operational days, from 2 December 2019 until 4 Jan 2020, performing 18 flights from Crete over the Ionian Sea”, the EU Commissioner for Industry and Research, Adina Ioana Valean, replied to a question by the MEP Miguel Urban Crespo of The Left group (formerly known as GUE/NGL) on 25 June 2020.

One of the Hermes 900 used by CeiiA crashed due to a technical fault on 8 January 2020 as it took off from the airstrip in Tympaki on Crete. Following this accident, surveillance and intelligence operations in Greek waters were reportedly suspended.[17] “The operation with CeiiA in Greece has been stopped,” Valean also stated. “Currently, the European Maritime Safety Agency is not carrying out any other maritime surveillance operations with this system, and nor are any other operations being prepared in this phase. The aircraft is undergoing tests after having been repaired and the investigation into the causes of the accident have not been completed yet”.[18] However, this did not prevent Elbit Systems and the Hermes 900 being chosen last October by Frontex to patrol the Mediterranean in the next two years.

The multi-purpose role of drones for control operations in the European context was confirmed on 19 September 2019 in a draft paper by the then Transport Commissioner, Violeta Bulc. “As part of European cooperation for the Coast Guard function, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (EBCG) have established joint information and maritime surveillance services, that include the use of remotely piloted aircraft”, Violeta Bulc wrote.

She continued:

“This has allowed to ensure an additional maritime surveillance capacity to national authorities to monitor sea pollution and the safety of navigation, identify vessels in distress, measure naval emissions, identify and track naval units involved in illegal activities, etc… EMSA, in agreement with EFCA and EBCG, has assumed a steering role for RPAS services, and it currently has eight contracts for the use of different remote piloted systems for different purposes. EMSA does not acquire the RPASs, but it underwrites contracts with the companies that operate in this sector.”

According to the former EU Commissioner, in 2018-19, EMSA coordinated drone operations in Portugal, Spain, Denmark, Greece, Croatia, Italy and Iceland.[19]

By 10 October 2019, 10 contracts had been signed by EMSA to carry out RPAS operations, three of which are still ongoing and are for “general maritime surveillance”. The contracts are with the Portuguese company CeiiA (Elbit Systems Hermes 900 drones); the ‘React’ consortium, comprising Portuguese aerospace company Tekever and CLS, a company controlled by the French Space Agency (Tekever AR5 Evolution drone); and with the Austrian military electronics company Schiebel (UAV Campcopter S100). EMSA also already received eight formal requests to operate remotely piloted systems in 2020 from eight member states: Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.[20] Estonia, Finland and Romania have also recently joined the club, according to EMSA press releases.

The Falcon starts flying from Sicily again In order to “extend” external maritime border surveillance 560 kilometres from the Sicilian coast and “prevent, counter and analyse the phenomenon of clandestine migration” in the central Mediterranean, the Italian Interior Ministry’s Central Directorate for Immigration and Border Police also decided to resort to unmanned aircraft. On 22 October 2020, the magazine Altraeconomia revealed that Italian public security authorities had hired a MALE drone produced by Leonardo at a cost of €8.8 million. The aircraft – which, once again, appears to be the Falco Evo tested with Frontex in Lampedusa in recent years – will be employed for a 12-month period that may be extended to 18 months, to undertake between 1,200 and 1,800 hours of flight.

“The Viminale [seat of the Interior Ministry] has acted for the purpose of increasing the capital of know-how within the National Coordination Centre of the European Border Surveillance System (NCC/EUROSUR) under the aegis of the Frontex agency,” Altreconomia reported. “As the ministry acknowledges, hiring a remotely piloted drone for a sum of €5,000 for an hour of flight is a noteworthy innovation. The tender, financed until June 2022 with resources from the 2014-2020 Internal Security Fund (ISF), reflects an obsession for control and surveillance following the substantive elimination of an institutional system for search and rescue at sea.”[21]

According to the tender’s technical specifications, the services provided by Leonardo will consist of undertaking airborne maritime surveillance missions, transmitting the information and data acquired to the National Coordination Centre “for its subsequent use and possible distribution to predetermined institutional referents,” and offering training courses to four pilots, two from the Polizia di Stato and two from the Guardia di Finanza, to control the drone from the land.

The package provided by Leonardo includes technical equipment (RPAS of a Medium Altitude Long Endurance type, land control station, sensors, etc.) and the necessary technical-logistical support. Daytime and night-time aero-maritime surveillance will take place “with at least 12 hours’ autonomy, without being visible or audible below 6,000 feet of altitude and capable of identifying objects measuring two metres at a distance of four kilometres.” The drone will operate from an airport that will be decided over the next few weeks by the Ministry, from those of Trapani-Birgi, Lampedusa or Ragusa-Comiso.

Specifically, the “surveillance of predefined areas in search for specific points” will be conducted, as will the “spotting, identification, tracking and monitoring of objects of interest”, “correlations between tracks”, “immediate provision to the tactical operator of the analysis content” and of the images and video collected by on-board sensors to the National Coordination Centre of the European Border Surveillance System. “The NCC/EUROSUR represents, in accordance with EU Regulation 1052/2013, the natural information exchange hub, also at an EU Restricted level [of security classification], between Member States and the Frontex Agency”, the Interior Ministry’s Public Security Department reports. “It is the designated place to receive all information relevant to the migration phenomenon, including those concerning search and rescue at sea operations that also have their source in trafficking and dealing in humans, for the purpose of coordinating the national border surveillance system”.[22]

...

The time of anti-immigrant balloons comes To strengthen the automation and dehumanisation that are features of the current war against migrants and migration, Frontex also aims to use airships. After a series of tests undertaken from Samos island in the eastern Aegean in collaboration with the Greek Coast Guard, Frontex decided to launch a pilot project by the end of 2021 to evaluate the efficiency and costs of aerostat platforms for border controls and to “modify and optimise the equipment that has already been tested.”[28] Thus, a call for tenders was issued to “hire two aerostats for maritime and environmental surveillance, with a view to a second pilot project supported by the host country, Greece”. The contract is worth just over €3 million for a duration of twelve months, including the technical personnel required to execute tests.[29]

During the trials undertaken in Samos, the aerostat used by Frontex and the Greek Coast Guard was the Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS) produced in the US by the Lockheed Martin group and the advanced engineering company ILC Dover, which is already used by the US Customs Service against illegal drug trafficking.[30] Equipped with a radar whose reach covers 200 nautical miles, a thermal camera and an Automatic Identification System, the TARS is 35 metres long, can fly to heights of up to 4,600 altitude and can carry a load of 1,200 kilograms. The remote identification systems that are customarily installed on board are the EL/M-2083 of the Israeli Elta Systems and the JLENS of the US company Raytheon. The first one is based on the radar used by the Israeli armed forces for its anti-ballistic missile system with an Arrow land base, capable of “a swift deployment for active electronic control and the long-distance identification of enemy aircraft, especially when they operate at low altitude”, as its manufacturing company Israel Aerospace Industries explains. The JLENS (Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System), AKA the “spy balloon”, was designed to intercept and track vessels, land vehicles, cruise missiles, aircraft with and without pilots, etc. Hence, it is unequivocable that also the aerostats are veritable death systems which, after having been deployed in war theatres, are now ‘converted’ into key instruments for the control of borders against “incursions” by migrants and asylum seekers.

Seeking researchers to hypermilitarise borders In the meantime, the Frontex agency has decided to make its own “experts” available to the European Commission’s General Directorate for Migrations and Internal Affairs in support of its research, testing, and development of innovative technologies for the control of land and sea borders. In particular, Frontex is contributing to implementation of relevant parts of the multi-annual EU investment programmes into research, Horizon 2020 (2014-2020) and Horizon Europe (2021-2027).

The final three-year tranche of Horizon for the so-called plan for societal security devoted €118 million to finance research into “Border and External Security”. In this field, Frontex “will identify research activities aimed at reducing gaps and vulnerabilities in the surveillance and situational awareness sectors; of biometrics, cybersecurity and the availability and exchange of information; to contribute to developing solutions that may facilitate its operative tests within Frontex Joint Operations [JOs] and in close cooperation with national authorities; to monitor the results of the searches to support their operative relevance and facilitate their absorption into the market.”[31]

A wide spectrum of technological instruments feature in the Horizon programmes sponsored by Frontex for the purpose of border security: firstly, remotely piloted platforms, whether they are airborne, land-based or naval; equipment to gather biometric data and those for three-dimensional face and iris scanning; command, control and intelligence systems; artificial intelligence (AI); robotics; integrated systems to identify trafficking in drugs etc..[32] In a press statement on 11 August 2020, Frontex also publicised the “projects of interest” financed using Horison 2020 research and development funds. These programmes are called ANDROMEDA, ARESIBO, BorderSens, COMPASS2020, D4Fly, MIRROR and PERCEPTIONS.[33]

The ANDROMEDA project (acronym of An EnhaNceD Common InfoRmatiOn Sharing EnvironMent for BordEr CommanD, Control and CoordinAtion Systems) seeks to establish a command system to oversee the EU’s maritime border control activities and to promote information exchange between naval forces, coast guard authorities and the police forces of member states and third countries. Financed with €5 million, ANDROMEDA is undertaken by the Israeli Public Security Ministry; the ministries of defence of Italy, Greece and Portugal; several universities; important research centres in the cybersecurity sector; and some of the leading European military aerospace industries (Leonardo-Finmeccanica, Thales Alenia Space Italia, Avio S.p.A., Piaggio Aereo Industries, GMV Aerospace and Defence SA), with the collaboration of the Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE), the EU agencies and institutions  EMSA, Frontex, EEAS (European External Action Service), EDA (European Defence Agency) and the European Union Satellite Centre (EUSC). ANDROMED commenced on 1 September 2019 and was due to end on 28 February 2021.[34]

Financed by the European Union with €7 million ARESIBO (Augmented Reality Enriched Situation awareness for Border security) commenced on 1 May 2019 and should end on 30 April 2022. The project is coordinated by the French aerospace giant Airbus Defence and Space SAS, and  features the involvement of 19 partners, including IES Solutions – Intelligence for Environment and Security S.r.l. (an advanced technological research company based in Rome and Catania); the German IT group Ubimax GMBH; the Greek and Portuguese Defence Ministries; the NATO Science and Technology Organization (the NATO body for scientific-technological research in the military field); ISIG – Istituto di Sociologia Internazionale di Gorizia (Gorizia International Sociological Institute); and the Protection and Guard Service of the Romanian Ministry of Defence.[35]

The purpose of ARESIBO is to create an “innovative” analysis system on “potential threats” and for patrolling and surveillance to respond to “emergencies” and partake in “search and rescue” activities and other operations planned at the European level. “This system will make it possible to acquire a more accurate picture of the situation, filtering an enormous amount of information collected from multiple sources”, the project’s proponents write. “Aresibo takes into consideration the use of all the types of remotely piloted systems that are able to respond to the operative requests of the land and sea border security missions. It also optimises the functions of platforms dedicated to surveillance with a view to their integration into existing processing systems to interpret, merge and correlate a great quantity of data”.

BorderSens, meanwhile, will create a European system to locate illegal drugs (with EU funding worth just over €5.5 million, lasting from 1 September 2019 to 31 August 2023). The COMPASS2020 (Coordination Of Maritime assets for Persistent And Systematic Surveillance) project aims to tackle “the challenges represented by irregular immigration and drug trafficking” with the goal of experimenting “the combined use and perfect coordination between piloted assets and those without pilots to achieve a greater coverage, an improved quality of information and shorter response times during maritime surveillance activities”.

The solution proposed by COMPASS2020 is the contextual use of drone aircraft and automated sub-water units (UxVs) to be deployed on board of naval units and/or in land bases. The platforms will be supported by a central control and command system and they will carry out “persistent and long-range” surveillance operations, strengthening the functions of the coast guard authorities and national maritime authorities. The project also envisages the development of new software to heighten the analysis capabilities concerning data collected by remotely controlled aircraft. COMPASS2020 began on 1 May 2019 and will end on 30 April 2021. Financed by “Horizon” to the tune of €6 million, it is being implemented by 14 partners, including the Portuguese General Maritime Directorate (coordinating body); the French shipbuilding company Naval Group; the German aerospace group Airbus Defence and Space GMBH; Eca Robotics (French robotics engineering company); the UK Home Office and, once again, the NATO Science and Technology Organization.[36]

The fifth research project at the EU level supported by Frontex is D4Fly (Detecting Document frauD and iDentity on the fly) which aims to improve the quality and effectiveness of identification processes at all land, air and sea border posts by providing more secure control instruments. Among the latter, the proponents of D4Fly list biometric technologies for three-dimensional face, iris and somatic feature checks; Apps for smartphones to check travellers’ thermal and multi-spectral images “to counter manipulations and detect the morphed facial images of impostors”; and new IT programmes to verify possible falsification of identity documents and passports.

D4Fly commenced on 1 September 2019 and will end on 31 August 2022. The project is coordinated by Veridos GMBH, a leading worldwide company for the organisation of security controls whose headquarters are in Berlin and which has subsidiaries in the US, Canada, Mexico, Greece, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Its eighteen partners include the Dutch Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Justice; the Piraeus Port Authority (Greece); and the Lithuanian National Border Protection Service. The EU has financed the project with €7 million .[37]

The strategic objective of MIRROR (Migration-Related Risks caused by misconceptions of Opportunities and Requirement) is to develop an integrated platform, a series of instruments and a “systematic methodology” to enable ���a comprehensive analysis on the perception of Europe and to identify discrepancies between what is perceived in Europe itself and what is real, including creation of an awareness of the impact deriving from it and of threats that are generated, including hybrid threats”. For this purpose, the project will analyse written texts and messages transmitted by multi-media networks, social networks and other communication channels, using new technological instruments and artificial intelligence.

The research project’s leading proponent is the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University in Hannover (Germany): among the thirteen partners, there are the German Defence Ministry; the Maltese and Swedish police forces; the state universities of Vienna and Malta; the Italian Eurix (IT consultancy company based in Turin), Conoscenza e Innovazione (a sociological and interdisciplinary research centre based in Rome) and the Fondazione Agenfor International, a “non-profit network” on security based in Milan with subsidiaries in Padua, Lugano (Switzerland), Tripoli (Libya) and al-Qamashly (Syria).[38] €5.18 million has been provided by the European Commission.

A similar sociological-security study programme is called PERCEPTIONS (Understand the Impact of Novel Technologies, Social Media, and Perceptions in Countries Abroad on Migration Flows and the Security of the EU & Provide Validated Counter Approaches, Tools and Practices), provided with almost €5 million.

This programme seeks to identify the narratives, images and perceptions about Europe that people have abroad, and to investigate how these may lead to “problems” like false expectations, threats for security or even radicalisation. “But most of all, the aim is to design toolkits of creative and innovative measures to react to and counter this type of problems by taking social and structural aspects into account”, the research’s proponents explain. “Current theories on migrations focus on push and pull factors. Economic, social and political factors are certainly central elements that push people to migrate. It is just as important to consider how the places of arrival are imagined in a desirable and attractive way, especially is there are false narratives that may influence decisions about migration. This project will help to identify the wrong ideas about the European Union that people have abroad and how much they are contributed to by myths circulated in social media and by new communication networks, in order to develop policy recommendations and plans of action at the EU level”. PERCEPTION envisages creating a Web platform aimed at groups and individuals that are “sensitive” to migration processes, in order to provide “relevant and easily accessible information” to “deconstruct false narratives and enhance the dissemination of real news”, thus reducing their possible impacts on EU border controls.

This project, which started on 1 September 2019 and will end on 31 August 2022, features the participation of the Israeli, Greek and Bulgarian police forces; several universities (including the Alma Mater Studiorum of Bologna and La Sapienza in Roma); research centres on migration and security policies; non-governmental organisations like, for example, Caritas in Nicosia (Cyprus) and France’s Association des Agences de la Democratie Locale, an international association “dedicated to the promotion of human rights, good government and citizens’ participation at the local level.” The long list of proponents of this controversial programme on the “perceptions of migrants” also includes the Fondazione Bruno Kessler of Trento, a research body of the autonomous province that works in the scientific-technological field and that of human sciences, paying special attention to artificial intelligence, IT and nuclear physics.[39]

The long Libyan hand of Fortress Europe The most troubling aspect of this relentless process of information gathering on migration flows thanks to new automated technologies, however, is the offer and transfer of intelligence by Frontex and other EU and national agencies to the military and police forces of third countries, mainly on the southern Mediterranean shore. These are conducts that have undergone a swift acceleration in the last three/four years and which largely correspond to the strategy of Brussels and Warsaw to “share” their policies for the military containment of migrations and to externalise actions and interventions that flagrantly violate international law, fundamental freedoms and the human rights of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers outside of the EU.

The modalities and consequences of the unlawful “transfer” of intelligence to non-EU countries were analysed in a previous analysis published by Statewatch. Images collected by EMSA drones are immediately evaluated by the coast guard authorities of the territorially competent nations, and they are contextually sent to the Frontex headquarters and integrated into the Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR) to be analysed by the European agency and by the control network of all the EU member states with external borders.

“Surveillance data is used to detect and prevent migration movements at an early stage”, the article noted. “Once the providing company has been selected, the new Frontex drones are also to fly for EUROSUR”, within whose framework “Frontex shares the recorded data with other European users via a ‘Remote Information Portal’.” Furthermore: “The data from EUROSUR and the national border control centres form the ‘Common Pre-frontier Intelligence Picture’,” thus extending “the area of interest of Frontex… far into the African continent”. The contracts underwritten with companies that provide remotely piloted aircraft foresee operations in the waters of the central and eastern Mediterranean within a radius of around 463 kilometres (250 nautical miles) from their departure bases.

“This would enable them to carry out reconnaissance in the ‘pre-frontier’ area off Tunisia, Libya and Egypt,” the analysis notes. The new Frontex Regulation provides that, “in order to share general information on surveillance of the Mediterranean Sea with a non-EU state, Frontex must first conclude a working agreement with the corresponding government”. However, there is evidence that the “EU military mission ‘EUNAVFOR MED’ was cooperating more extensively with the Libyan coast guard (…) Libya is the first third country to be connected to European surveillance systems via the ‘Seahorse Mediterranean’ network. Information handed over to the Libyan authorities might also include information that was collected with the Italian military ‘Predator’ drones.”[40]

The Seahorse Mediterranean Network is a cooperation programme to “improve information exchange in the Mediterranean area” signed by seven Member States (Spain, Italy, France, Malta, Cyprus and Portugal) and by north African countries, within the EUROSUR framework. It also envisages a series of training and formation initiatives aimed at African operators in the field of maritime surveillance. In partnership with the Spanish Guardia Civil, the Italian Guardia di Finanza (GdF) organised and provided a training course in Gaeta (Latina) on “driving naval units” for the personnel of the Libyan Coast Guard and Ministries of Defence and for Interior Affairs (the EU’s contribution to the GdF was €475,000).[41]

Libya’s direct involvement in EU operations to stop and return migrant vessels to their place of departure was “legitimated” in June 2018 by Italy’s reckless and irresponsible decision to entrust to it the undertaking of interventions to search, rescue and save shipwreck victims in the Libyan SAR (Search and Rescue) Maritime Region. The identification and establishment of this SAR zone were assigned in 2016 by the European Commission to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Rome (IMRCC).

The exchange of competences between Rome and Tripoli turned this SAR region into an immense Libyan hunting ground to target vessels heading for southern Italy or Malta, with people on board seeking humanitarian protection and asylum in an EU that is always less welcoming.[42] The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea provides that any information about a real or suspected emergency involving a naval vessel must be sent to the nearest Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC). Thus, despite a chronic lack of means and personnel and the questionable will of the Libyans to provide maritime assistance and rescue services, it happens that when remotely piloted Frontex aircraft identify vessels in distress, this information is relayed to Tripoli, as the party “responsible” for search activities in its own SAR zone, through its own MRCC. This allows Frontex not to intervene to rescue migrants in distress identified by its own drones and to cynically leave the (possible) responsibility for intervening to Libya.[43]

“The legal obligation to aid a vessel in distress does not apply to an unmanned aerial vehicle”, Phil McDuff explains in The Guardian. 

“You can avoid the politically fraught argument about who should take care of rescued migrants if you never rescue them in the first place (…) If we are obliged to rescue those who ask us for help, the solution seems to be to ensure we cannot hear their request”.[44]

Obviously, the European Commission rejected any allegations on this point. On 8 January 2020, Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, answered a parliamentary question by denying that Frontex has ever provided information to the Libyan Coast Guard within the framework of surveillance operations undertaken by Member States at their external borders in cooperation with the agency.[45] “However, this has occurred within the framework of the Eurosur Fusion Service — Multipurpose Aerial Surveillance (MAS)”, Commissioner Borrell admitted. “During MAS aerial surveillance in the pre-frontier area – from 2017 to 20 November 2019 – when Frontex identified distress situations in the Libyan SAR zone, on 42 occasions the agency informed the MRCC of the nearest member state and EUNavFOR MED, as well as the Libyan Coast Guard.”[46]

Brussels has also had to admit that it is aware of Tripoli’s considerable organisational limits for maritime search and rescue and regarding the technical-organisational effectiveness of the centre that is meant to oversee SAR operations by the Libyan Coast Guard. On this point, it is worth reporting what was stated on 20 May 2019 by the EU Finance Commissioner, Johannes Hahn. After noting that in June 2017 the Italian Coast Guard received European funding worth €1.8 million to prepare a feasibility study to advise its Libyan counterpart in the legal and technical field for SAR activities (Operation Aurora), Commissioner Hahn clarified that the study was presented in Brussels in January 2019 with a request to provide Libya with systems of control, command, telecommunications and maritime traffic monitoring, satellite radio equipment, as well as the training required. The Commission subsequently authorised the purchase of what Italy asked through a programme called  ‘Support to Integrated Border and Migration Management in Libya, first phase’ (worth €46 million), adopted within the framework of the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa.[47]

“Establishing the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre (MRCC) is part of the second phase of the programme (€45 million disbursed in December 2018),” Hahn specified. “Negotiations between the Commission and the Italian interior ministry to create this MRCC are underway. Procedures leading to a call for tenders to purchase the MRCC’s main equipment and systems will be issued during 2019 and 2020.”[48] Hence, this will be around one-and-a-half or two years after the Italian/Libyan transfer of “control” over an extensive and very heavily navigated SAR region in the central Mediterranean.

A dark epilogue In the meantime, there have been a proliferation of allegations concerning unlawful “pushbacks” to North Africa of migrant vessels that seek to cross the Sicilian Channel, thanks to a tight partnership between Frontex and Tripoli’s Navy. On 17 June 2020, four non-governmental organisations (Alarm Phone, Borderline-Europe, Mediterranea Saving Humans and Sea-Watch) presented their report Remote control: the EU-Libya collaboration in mass interceptions of migrants in the Central Mediterranean, which highlights how the actions undertaken by the EU in collaboration with the Libyan authorities are facilitating mass migrant interceptions and returns. In particular, the report reconstructs some search and rescue events that ended up with interceptions and returns to Libya.[49]

“EU aerial assets are deployed to detect migrant boats from the air and guide the so-called Libyan Coast Guard. Aerial surveillance has led to the capture of tens of thousands of people and their return to the Libyan war zone” in operations that are straightforward violations of fundamental rights. “EU actors have delegated responsibility to the Libyan authorities and become complicit in the systematic interception and return of people seeking to escape from Libya.” The cases documented in the report show “the crucial role played by EU aerial surveillance in mass interceptions off the coast of Libya, which have been expanded over recent months”.[50]

The report’s authors conclude that 

“EU aircraft identify migrant vessels and only contact Libyan authorities, de facto preventing other ships from intervening and disembarking rescued people in a safe port...EU authorities have further instrumentalized the COVID-19 crisis to normalise already existing practices of non-assistance at sea and continue to violate the non-refoulement principle at sea. Under no circumstances can the COVID-19 pandemic justify the push- and pull-back of fleeing migrants to Libya.”[51]

- Antonio Mazzeo, “Border surveillance, drones and militarisation of the Mediterranean.” Statewatch. May 6, 2021.

[linked-all]

8 Effective Drone Payloads Elevator Pitches

Drone payloads are the ammunition of unmanned aerial vehicles, or just drones.These devices have a variety of different uses, from reconnaissance to defence and offence. While many of them may seem similar on the surface, they can be very different when you get down into their specific capabilities. Take a look at these 8 drone payload examples below to get a sense for what each of these devices is capable of when used against either an adversary or in urban recon missions

 These devices have a variety of different uses, from reconnaissance to defence and offence. While many of them may seem similar on the surface, they can be very different when you get down into their specific capabilities. Take a look at these 20 UAV payload examples below to get a sense for what each of these devices is capable of when used against either an adversary or in urban recon missions.

1. Boeing Small Unmanned Aerial Systems Cargo Improved 2600-Pound Capacity Vertical Takeoff and Landing Transformer System (SUAVS CARGO UAS VTOL)

2. Boeing ScanEagle

3. Convergent Unmanned Miniature Aerial Vehicle for Tactical Reconnaissance, Communication, and Intelligence (CUMRU-ICI)

4. Cyberhawk - Autonomous Inspection of Industrial Sites

5. Desert Hawk III - Mini Surveillance UAV

6. Elbit Skylark I unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)

7. General Atomics MQ-1 Predator unmanned drone aircraft system used by the US Air Force as well as NASA for scientific purposes 8. Harris Corporation A160 Hummingbird

9. Honeywell RQ-16 T-Hawk (UAV) - A micro tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (TUAV) designed for operation in confined areas and urban environments where larger UAVs would be too susceptible to collateral damage 10. IAI Heron

11. Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II stealth multirole fighter jet and the designation of the system as such—-that is, Lockheed's vision for an extremely versatile aircraft can respond to a wide variety of missions with a single airframe 12. Northrop Grumman MQ-8 Fire Scout Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) used by the United States as well as by the militaries of several other countries 13. Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk

14. Northrop Grumman X47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator 15. Prox Dynamics PD-100 Black Hornet

16. QinetiQ Zephyr High Altitude Long Endurance solar powered unmanned aerial vehicle 17. Lockheed Martin Desert Hawk UAV mini surveillance UAV 18. MQ-8 Fire Scout Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) used by the United States as well as by the militaries of several other countries 19. Sunrobotics Audi A4 Dronabinol delivery drone 20T6 TALON, 6 lb. multi-intelligence payload designed to work with many popular UAV platforms.

A key feature of the Talon payload is its swappable mission modules. A Talon with different mission modules can be configured for different types of missions in less than one hour, making it ideal for multi-INT collection and exploitation

In various military and civil missions:-

21. TALON, 6 lb. multi-intelligence payload designed to work with many popular UAV platforms.

A key feature of the Talon payload is its swappable mission modules. A Talon with different mission modules can be configured for different types of missions in less than one hour, making it ideal for multi-INT collection and exploitation in various military and civil missions

22. Technical Systems Integration Aerial Delivery System 23. The Boeing ScanEagle 24T6 TALON Mini UAS For Tactical & Homeland Security Missions .

conclusion:- drone technology has certainly taken off to another level with its payload capabilities. From the first items on the list like Boeing ScanEagle at number 4 to the 25th item which is designed for Homeland Security missions, Farming drones payloads are making our lives much easier than it used to be.

While there are many others that could probably be added, this article tries to highlight only 20 of the most popular items that could be found today in any list of drone payloads. These devices vary greatly in their cost and quality as well—a fact that should come as no surprise due to all of the various different types of drones available today. Anything from an inexpensive quadcopter model all the way up to a stealth combat drone can technically be considered a payload-capable drone. This wide range in cost and size could also be said to apply to the drones themselves.

These devices vary greatly in their cost and quality as well—a fact that should come as no surprise due to all of the various different types of drones available today.

[doonitedin]

Army receives Heron drones from Israel for deployment in Ladakh sector

Army receives Heron drones from Israel for deployment in Ladakh sector

Image Source : ANI Army receives Heron drones from Israel for deployment in the Ladakh sector Highlights The drones are being deployed for surveillance operations in the eastern Ladakh sector. These drones are operational and are far more advanced than the Herons in the existing inventory. The acquisition of the drones has been done under the emergency financial powers granted by the PM. The…

[thenorthlines]

Army deploys new Israeli Heron drones in Ladakh

Army deploys new Israeli Heron drones in Ladakh

After a delay of a few months due to COVID-19, the Army’s surveillance capabilities have received a major boost as Israel has delivered advanced Heron drones under the emergency procurement clause to keep an eye on the Chinese activities in the Ladakh sector. “The advanced Heron drones have arrived in the country and are being deployed for surveillance operations in the eastern Ladakh sector,”…

[todaynewsguru]

India will purchase 4 Heron TP drones from Israel for surveillance, may even come in useful for working missiles

India will purchase 4 Heron TP drones from Israel for surveillance, may even come in useful for working missiles

India-Israel Business Ties: Last week Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Vivek Lal, CEO of General Atomics, whose firm manufactures armed predator drones. Sources say that the switch of know-how can be mentioned with the US earlier than finalizing the deal.

[usafphantom2]

U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones return to Greece

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 04/25/22 - 14:00 in Military, UAV - UAV

U.S. Armed Forces MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles will be operating in the coming weeks from the 110th Combat Wing of the Hellenic Air Force at Larissa Air Base, Greece.

The MQ-9 are returning after almost a year and a half for facilities that have been upgraded under the U.S.-Greece Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement (MDCA).

The U.S. is investing a total of $33.5 million at the base, so that the 110th Combat Wing can host technologically advanced platforms now and in the future.

Although the MQ-9 mission is linked to surveillance missions in the Mediterranean region, its range (1,850 kilometers) also allows its use for NATO missions to coastal countries to the Black Sea (Bulgaria, Romania), with the aim of monitoring the situation in Ukraine.

For the Hellenic Air Force, the presence of the MQ-9 has increased significance, given the ongoing negotiations for the supply of UAVs to Greece between Athens and the Pentagon.

The Hellenic Air Force wants to acquire three MQ-9 UAVs and a command station that will control them through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.

The U.S. Air Force usually uses six MQ-9s per command post; however, the Greeks consider that three UAVs of this type are sufficient to meet the country's surveillance needs.

At the same time, discussions are also underway with Israel for the supply of Israeli UAVs, specifically the most advanced type of Heron (MK II or Heron TP), which can also carry out offensive missions.

The experience so far with Heron, which has been subleased to the Hellenic Air Force and operates from Skyros, has been considered satisfactory.

Meanwhile, Turkey's behavior in the Aegean Sea is justifying Greece's movements to strengthen the deterrent capabilities of its air force.

On Wednesday, Turkish Air Force fighter jets resume overflights on Greek territory, leading to a series of interceptions and simulated combat.

Tags: Military AviationDronesHAF - Hellenic Air Force / Greek Air ForceMQ-9 ReaperUAV

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in a specialized aviation magazine in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[bbcbreakingnews]

Army showcased intent to use ‘drone swarms’ in offensive operations in future

NEW DELHI: India on Friday for the first time demonstrated its intent to deploy drone swarms for offensive military operations in the future, including Kamikaze kinetic attacks on enemy targets like tanks, helipads, radars, fuel dumps and terror camps by “child” drones released by “mother” drones. The Army Day parade in Delhi Cantonment on Friday saw 75 small to medium-size drones execute an array of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled simulated offensive and combat-support operations, ranging from Kamikaze strikes to paradrop and “hover and drop” missions of essential supplies to troops on the frontlines, without any human intervention from the ground. It marked a small beginning, and that too in a controlled environment. Use of drone swarms, which can also overwhelm an adversary’s air defence capabilities, is still a new war-fighting concept for India. The armed forces do have over 100 large Israeli UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), from Heron and Searcher-II surveillance and precision-targeting drones to Harop “killer” ones, apart from indigenous ones. The government has also fast-tracked `Project Cheetah’ to arm the Herons with laser-guided bombs, air-to-ground anti-tank missiles and other precision-guided munitions for Rs 3,500 crore. But it needs to do much more. Azerbaijan, after all, emerged victorious in its war with Armenia last year primarily due to successful drone warfare. The Army is now working closely with DRDO and the private sector to induct drone swarms and other such “niche and disruptive technologies” after chartering out a concrete roadmap for them. The rotary-wing quadcopter and multi-copter drones, weighing from 5 to 25-kg, used on Friday have been developed in a collaboration with a Bengaluru startup, NewSpace Research and Technologies, with an initial order also being placed. “These drones can facilitate the execution of kinetic strikes with surgical precision as deep as 45-50 km inside enemy territory, without being controlled from the ground. Conversely, such a swarm of 75 drones can deliver 600-kg of supplies to our troops,” said a senior officer. “Our tryst with AI-offensive drone operations began last August when we swarmed a mere five drones. We graduated to 20 in October, 35 in December and now 75. Such drone swarms will get larger to three digits (over 100) and possibly four (over 1,000) in the future,” he added. The autonomy of such swarms is enabled through a complex interface between on board computers, smart and adaptive AI algorithms, advanced photometry and edge-computing for better target designation. “It is driven by continuous satellite feeds, digital terrain scene-matching and area correlation techniques. Both pre-programmed as well as opportunity targets can be engaged by the drone swarms with equal dexterity,” said the Army. The demonstration included “mother drones” releasing “child” ones, which then oriented and re-aligned themselves to the assigned targets. “The onboard edge computers use advanced AI algorithms to optimize the attack trajectories. Armed with explosives, the drones then fly at blistering speeds to crash into the targets in Kamikaze strikes,” said another officer. The Army says that as its capacities in “swarming” grows in weight and sophistication, and it graduates to the fixed wing class drones, the “lethality and destructive capacities of ammunition delivery will be enhanced by a significant order of magnitude”.

source https://bbcbreakingnews.com/2021/01/15/army-showcased-intent-to-use-drone-swarms-in-offensive-operations-in-future/

[keenlen]

Often it is not what is easily seen but what is largely unseen that provides peace. First post for 2021 is to highlight and remember the critical role played by the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Squadrons of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) in maintaining security especially in the midst of the pandemic last year. 128 Squadron is one of those critical ops units that provides 24/7 surveillance support for homeland security and counter-terrorism. Along with 119 Squadron, 128 Squadron operates the IAI Heron 1 UAV which has up to 24hrs flight endurance for Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) operations - ‘Eye in the Sky’. While they don’t normally get much fanfare (and no complaints on noise pollution) unlike their colleagues from the fighter or transport squadrons, the men and women of the UAV squadrons do their jobs quietly and professionally knowing the critical importance of their role and function. The patches made by 128 Squadron creatively tell the story of an interesting yet challenging operational tour for them in an unusual year where they’ve had to make sacrifices and adjustments due to the COVID-19 Safe Management Measures (SMM). Note the taglines on the patches - ‘Three Weeks WFH, Three Weeks On’, ‘Owls Watching the CB’, ‘COVID19 Critical Ops Unit’. Kudos to 128 Squadron for making these patches for they not only help to boost morale but also serve as a reminder of their contributions. Clearly, the Owls of 128 Squadron are always focused and ready to not let any threat get out of sight. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” Proverbs‬ ‭15:3‬ ‭ESV‬‬ @thersaf Photo Source: Photo of Heron 1 UAV taken by author during the RSAF50 Aerial Display at the Marina Barrage in August 2018. Video Source: ‘RSAF’s UAV Squadron Makes Adjustments amid COVID-19 Circuit Breaker’, Channel News Asia, retrieved from: https://youtu.be/HZzCUim0VfA #TheRSAF #AboveAll #OneSAF #AviationGeek #MilitaryAviation #MilitaryEnthusiast #aviationphotography #instagramaviation #aviation4u #excellentaviation #PlaneSpotters #MilitaryGeek #UAV #ISTAR #Drone #instagood #IAI #Heron1 (at Singapore) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJiHqDGB9KC/?igshid=1k886eb25v4dk