Heron TP (Eitan)

The Heron TP (known in IDF service as the Eitan, meaning 'Strong' in Hebrew) is Israel Aerospace Industries' largest drone and the largest UAS operated by any Israeli branch — with a wingspan of 26 meters, comparable to a Boeing 737. Powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67A turboprop producing 1,200 shaft horsepower, it cruises at 35,000 feet with an endurance exceeding 30 hours. The Heron TP's capacity for multiple simultaneous payloads — including synthetic aperture radar, SIGINT, maritime patrol radar, and a large EO/IR turret — makes it an airborne ISR node rather than just a surveillance drone.

The Israeli Air Force has used the Heron TP extensively over Gaza and Lebanon for persistent ISR and target cueing. In the armed configuration, it can carry precision-guided munitions. IAI has exported the design to India, which operates the Heron TP for high-altitude surveillance over the Himalayas and the Siachen Glacier — extreme environments that test the aircraft's performance ceiling. Canada, the Netherlands, and Germany have operated the platform under NATO ISR-sharing arrangements. The Heron TP is considered a benchmark for what a non-US ally can develop and export at the MALE upper tier.