The Australian Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is a key asset in the conduct of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions in the Afghanistan theatre of operations. The vehicles are flown by a small contingent of Royal Australian Air Force, and Australian Army personnel from the coalition airbase at Kandahar. They have been operating in theatre since July 2009
Heron missions principally support Australian efforts on the ground by providing intelligence information on insurgent activities directly to commanders in the tactical situation.
Heron have the capacity to carry a number of capabilities on any single mission and can therefore provide a versatile array of information depending on the requirements of the customer.
They are operated from a ground base control by trained pilots and can withstand a range of weather conditions. Heron is a medium altitude asset that is designed to compliment the other reconnaissance assets in theatre.
Information is analysed and processed in real time. The commander has the benefit of not only having eyes and ears on a target but also a wide range of specialist imaging and sensory information to build a more accurate picture of the battlespace.
