India inducts new strike-capable Heron Mark 2 drones in northern sector. Details

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Sunday inducted new four strike-capable Heron Mark 2 drones at a forward air base in the northern sector in a major boost to the country’s defence sector.

According to the commanding officer of the drone squadron Wing Commander Pankaj Rana, the drones can carry out surveillance from across the country in a single sortie itself, reported news agency ANI.

“The Heron Mark 2 is a very capable drone. This is capable of longer endurance and has ‘beyond line of sight’ capability,” he told ANI.

All about the Heron Mark 2 drones:

The four new Heron Mark-2 drones can be equipped with long-range missiles and other weapons systems.

The drones have a satellite communication capability with a long-desired capability to the IAF, as they can operate at very long distances for close to 36 hours at a stretch. The drones can also laser illuminate enemy targets from very long ranges to help fighter aircraft destroy them using their long-range weapons, reported ANI.

The Heron Mark 2 drones, which can provide 24×7 surveillance of targets, have a longer endurance while will ensure that multiple missions can be flown and multiple sectors can be addressed in one mission itself.
The drones can also operate in any weather and on any terrain.

According to defence officials, the drones are capable of being equipped with different types of weapons as the original equipment manufacturers can equip them with air-to-ground missiles, air-to-ground anti-tank weapons, and bombs.

Meanwhile, the IAF is also inducting 31 Predator drones which are in the high altitude, long endurance category, and will help the Indian Navy to cover large tracts of the Indian Ocean region. While 15 of these drones will be operated by the Indian Navy, the other two forces – Indian Army and IAF – will get eight drones each.