Under US Pressure? Australia Discontinues Heron Lease from IAI
While still mulling over which UAV to purchase, Australia decides not to renew the lease of IAI's Heron, in a move that will leave the RAAF with no operational drones. Could this step be the result of American pressure on the Australian government?
Ami Rojkes Dombe
| 09/08/2017
By SSGT REYNALDO RAMON, USAF - http://www.dodmedia.osd.mil/Assets/2005/Air_Force/DF-SD-05-09056.JPEG, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1738164
The Australian Defence Magazine (ADM) reports that after seven years of service in the Australian Air Force, the latter has decided not to extend the lease of IAI's Heron UAV.
Since the Australian government has not yet decided whether it wants to buy Israeli (Heron TP) or American (MQ-9 Reaper) UAVs, their decision to discontinue the lease means that the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) now remains with no operational UAVs.
According to the report, Australia will not extend the lease because it believes the Heron is a legacy UAS. "This might come as news to Heron operators around the globe who perhaps do not share this view. They include Azerbaijan, Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, Germany, India, Israel, Morocco, Singapore, Republic of Korea, Turkey and the US," the report reads.
ADM claims that the decision to retire the Heron leaves Australia in Limbo. Even if they decide to purchase the Reaper, only four RAAF personnel are currently trained to operate the MQ-9, and the maximum training capacity is limited to fewer than a dozen people a year. This means that in the next three to five years, Australia will be unable to operate drones.
Could the Australian move to withdraw the Heron from service be part of an American sales strategy? "At first glance, the argument for an FMS case for the Reaper is a 'no brainer'. The RAAF clearly wants to have the same capability as their US allies and have structured training efforts around the platform. But that doesn't mean a competition for the capability isn't going to happen. Indeed, even an RFI to IAI would not be out of the question to get an idea of capability, cost and schedule for the Heron TP. These figures at the very least could add some competitive pressure to the FMS case, as with Romeos vs NH90," ADM's report concludes.
While still mulling over which UAV to purchase, Australia decides not to renew the lease of IAI's Heron, in a move that will leave the RAAF with no operational drones. Could this step be the result of American pressure on the Australian government?
By SSGT REYNALDO RAMON, USAF - http://www.dodmedia.osd.mil/Assets/2005/Air_Force/DF-SD-05-09056.JPEG, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1738164
The Australian Defence Magazine (ADM) reports that after seven years of service in the Australian Air Force, the latter has decided not to extend the lease of IAI's Heron UAV.
Since the Australian government has not yet decided whether it wants to buy Israeli (Heron TP) or American (MQ-9 Reaper) UAVs, their decision to discontinue the lease means that the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) now remains with no operational UAVs.
According to the report, Australia will not extend the lease because it believes the Heron is a legacy UAS. "This might come as news to Heron operators around the globe who perhaps do not share this view. They include Azerbaijan, Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, Germany, India, Israel, Morocco, Singapore, Republic of Korea, Turkey and the US," the report reads.
ADM claims that the decision to retire the Heron leaves Australia in Limbo. Even if they decide to purchase the Reaper, only four RAAF personnel are currently trained to operate the MQ-9, and the maximum training capacity is limited to fewer than a dozen people a year. This means that in the next three to five years, Australia will be unable to operate drones.
Could the Australian move to withdraw the Heron from service be part of an American sales strategy? "At first glance, the argument for an FMS case for the Reaper is a 'no brainer'. The RAAF clearly wants to have the same capability as their US allies and have structured training efforts around the platform. But that doesn't mean a competition for the capability isn't going to happen. Indeed, even an RFI to IAI would not be out of the question to get an idea of capability, cost and schedule for the Heron TP. These figures at the very least could add some competitive pressure to the FMS case, as with Romeos vs NH90," ADM's report concludes.
