Documents
Israel Israel Aerospace Industries
Heron 1
A widely exported medium-altitude long-endurance reconnaissance drone built by Israel Aerospace Industries, operated unarmed by dozens of air forces for ISR, border surveillance and maritime patrol. One of the most widely proliferated MALE UAVs in the world.
In service since 1994 · 20 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
207
km/h
350
km range
9,144
m ceiling
Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
Israeli export-licensed
Israeli MoD (DECA/SIBAT) licensing; active export programme.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Widely fielded · 20 operators
In service since 1994. Status: active · ~150 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 207 km/h Stronger than 44% of UAVs
- Cruise speed
Sustained economical speed. Determines transit time to station.
- 130 km/h Stronger than 39% of UAVs
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 350 km Stronger than 51% of UAVs
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 9,144 m Stronger than 73% of UAVs
- Endurance
Time on station. Critical for UAVs and patrol platforms — higher means longer persistent coverage.
- 45 h Top 6% of UAVs
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 8.5 m
- Wingspan
Wingtip-to-wingtip span.
- 16.6 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 730 kg
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 1,150 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 0
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- Rotax 914 piston engine
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Piston, pusher propeller
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- Electro-optical/infrared payload, Synthetic aperture radar (optional)
- Datalink
Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement.
- LOS datalink, SATCOM (extended-range variants)
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 150 Stronger than 34% of UAVs
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 20 Top 8% of UAVs
Specifications compiled from public Israel Aerospace Industries and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9A Reaper 
Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S Frequently asked questions
What is the top speed of the Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1? +
The Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1 has a maximum speed of 207 km/h.
What is the range of the Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1? +
The Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1 has a maximum range of 350 km.
How much does the Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1 weigh? +
The Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1 has a combat weight of 1,150 kg.
How many crew does the Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1 require? +
The Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1 requires a crew of 0.
What engine does the Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1 use? +
The Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1 is powered by the Rotax 914 piston engine.
What is the Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1 used for? +
The Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1 is a uav / drone typically used for isr.
How many countries operate the Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1? +
The Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1 is operated by 20 countries.
How much does the Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1 cost? +
Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1: Unit cost not publicly disclosed. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.
Similar systems
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
MQ-9A Reaper
Northrop Grumman
RQ-4 Global Hawk
Turkish Aerospace Industries
ANKA-S
Baykar