IAF introduces new drone fleet

Heron TP is size of passenger jet, can fly 20 hours nonstop, reach Iran.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
[illustrative] Israel drone 311 IAF (photo credit: Courtesy: IAF [illustrative])
[illustrative] Israel drone 311 IAF
(photo credit: Courtesy: IAF [illustrative])
The Israel Air Force on Sunday introduced a fleet of large unmanned planes it claims can fly as far as Iran.
Air force officials said the Heron TP drones have a wingspan of 26 meters, making them the size of passenger jets. They said the planes can fly 20 consecutive hours, and are primarily used for surveillance and carrying payloads.
The drones, built by state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, were first used during Israel's Gaza war last year.
Atan inauguration ceremony Sunday, officials refused to say how large thenew fleet is or whether the planes were designed for use against Iran.