Documents
Israel Israel Aerospace Industries
Super Heron
An upgraded, more powerful-engined evolution of the IAI Heron 1 medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV, offering increased payload capacity and altitude performance for extended intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
In service since 2014 · 5 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
350
km range
10,500
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
Established · 5 operators
In service since 2014. Status: active.
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.
- Cruise speed
Sustained economical speed. Determines transit time to station.
- 207 km/h Stronger than 77% 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 49% of UAVs
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 10,500 m Stronger than 77% 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
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 1,450 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 turbocharged piston engine
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Piston engine, 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/GMTI, SIGINT payload (variants)
- Datalink
Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement.
- LOS datalink, SATCOM
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 5 Stronger than 66% 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.
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General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9A Reaper Frequently asked questions
What is the range of the Israel Aerospace Industries Super Heron? +
The Israel Aerospace Industries Super Heron has a maximum range of 350 km.
How much does the Israel Aerospace Industries Super Heron weigh? +
The Israel Aerospace Industries Super Heron has a combat weight of 1,450 kg.
How many crew does the Israel Aerospace Industries Super Heron require? +
The Israel Aerospace Industries Super Heron requires a crew of 0.
What engine does the Israel Aerospace Industries Super Heron use? +
The Israel Aerospace Industries Super Heron is powered by the Rotax 914 turbocharged piston engine.
What is the Israel Aerospace Industries Super Heron used for? +
The Israel Aerospace Industries Super Heron is a uav / drone typically used for isr.
How many countries operate the Israel Aerospace Industries Super Heron? +
The Israel Aerospace Industries Super Heron is operated by 5 countries.
How much does the Israel Aerospace Industries Super Heron cost? +
Israel Aerospace Industries Super Heron: Unit cost not publicly disclosed. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.
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