The Israel Air Force has unveiled its huge Heron TP drone. Deployed secretly for more than a year, the Heron TP is not the largest drone in the world, but it is close.
As with other weapons, Israeli drone development suffers from small production scale. Much lower R&D costs so far have allowed Israel Air Industries to compete, but step by step the corporation is migrating abroad. Unless Israel breaks free from American export restrictions, drone production will go the way of Lavi jets, Merkava tanks, and Uzi guns.
UAVs, especially the large ones, are quickly becoming obsolete. They lack the active protection and maneuverability of manned aircraft, and are very easy to shoot down for an enemy who has even basic radar. Compared to mid-price-range Russian jets, they are not cheap, either.
Drones will not be employed in combat anytime in the near future. Drones are useful for reconnaissance, but they are not inherently preferable to ever-cheaper satellites. In the politically correct world, drones have become the weapon of choice for foreign missions: for some reason, affected governments find it easier to swallow if drones, rather than manned aircraft, violate their airspace.
Drones fit the videogame mentality of this generation: do not endanger pilots who, like any soldiers, are meant to be endangered. As fighter jets become prohibitively expensive for combat operations, and developed nations shrink from real combat anyway, we will see many more drones taking to the skies on quasi-military missions. With volumes soaring and competition increasing, Israel won’t be able to sustain her leading edge in drone development.
