German Heron UAV unit nears 1,000th mission

Rheinmetall Airborne Systems expects to complete the 1,000th operational flight of a leased Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1 unmanned air vehicle in Afghanistan during October, as the German government nears a decision on whether to buy a medium-altitude, long-endurance surveillance system outright.

Flown in Afghanistan under a service provision deal since June 2010 in support of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, Germany's three Heron air vehicles had logged a combined 10,800 flight hours by the start of this month. Used in conjunction with two ground control stations, the aircraft are flown from Mazar-e-Sharif air base.

Up to two of the UAVs can be flown simultaneously, with the longest single sortie having lasted 28h and 50min, says Christian Glaser, the company's senior maintenance manager supporting the Heron operation. Rheinmetall Airborne Systems personnel are responsible for maintaining the aircraft around-the-clock, with its pilots also conducting take-offs and landings. German military personnel manage the operational activity, which is based around intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tasks.

With a background in the German air force's air defence organisation, Glaser has completed 15 four-week deployments to Afghanistan in support of the programme in the last two years.

Berlin recently signed a two-year extension worth about €75 million ($97.4 million) to its interim UAV deal, which will see the current service continue until at least the end of October 2014. The German government has been considering the acquisition of a fully owned system, with the Rheinmetall/IAI-promoted Heron TP and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Predator B in contention.

German Tornado upgrade on track as laser JDAM tests near

The German air force is exhibiting one of its newly upgraded Panavia Tornado strike aircraft at the show, with the type to remain in frontline use until at least 2025.

One of three aircraft to have been returned to Luftwaffe use in late June following the completion of ASSTA 3.0 modernisation work led by Cassidian, the Tornado is assigned to the Büchel-based Fighter Bomber Wing 33.

A total of 85 aircraft are due to be modified under the ASSTA programme, with the last of these to be completed in 2018. Five have been handed over so far, with deliveries running at a rate of one per month.

 Work conducted under the upgrade includes adding a Saab radar warning receiver below the forward fuselage, a digital moving map sourced from the Eurofighter Typhoon programme, a digital video and data recorder, and a Saturn radio.

A new display also enables the pilot to see imagery from the aircraft's targeting pod for the first time. Crucially, it also introduces the hardware and basic software for the Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS)/Link 16 datalink.

"What the air force will see is a huge leap forward in technology," says Thomas Beck, programme manager for the ASSTA effort.

Another key enhancement is the integration of Boeing's GBU-54 laser-guided JDAM. Five of the 226kg (500lb) weapons will be released over Sweden's Vidsel test range next month as part of an operational test and evaluation activity involving four aircraft.

Full integration of the MIDS equipment will come with a subsequent ASSTA 3.1 phase in 2015. This will also replace obsolete displays in the rear cockpit and introduce new chaff and flare dispensers to further boost self-protection.