Israel And Middle East Made Technology RX-18, Heron And Yabhon RX-6UAV

Skylark UAV, Yablon RX-8 UAV and Heron UAV

Israel’s list of UAVs matches China’s at 40 models and variants, from 10 manufacturers but with a significant difference: Most can be fully vetted. Israeli platforms cover a broad spectrum of sizes, capabilities, and missions, from the 0.5-kg Mosquito urban MAV to the 4,650-kg medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) mulversion timission Heron TP, both from IAI. Most Israeli manufacturers have at least two UAVs under development or in production; Elbit Systems, IAI, and Aeronautics Defense Systems offer at least nine each.

Turkey has developed its own wide range of UAVs in recent years, most under the banner of TUSAS Aerospace Industries. And while TAI earned its reputation with a series of small, short-range, low-altitude vehicles, its principal effort since 2004 has been the TIHA, a Predator-class MALE intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) vehicle, scheduled for first flight in this year.

Also planned to debut this year, according to reports quoting Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, is a mini that can be carried in a soldier’s rucksack and outfitted with day/night cameras for closerange surveillance.
Abu Dhabi has joined the race to field its own Predator- class MALE UAV with Adcom Military Industries’ Yabhon RX-18.

The company already produces two UAVs under the Yabhon name a jet-propelled high-speed diving target drone (Yabhon HMD) and a piston pusher prop for long-endurance reconnaissance and surveillance (Yabhon RX-6). Although it has no production facilities, the Lebanese-based Shiite militia Hezbollahhas made considerable news in the past few years by flying UAVs, believed to be supplied by Iran, over Israel. Various reports have identified the Hezbollah vehicles as the Mohajer 4 and Abadil-T.