An Israeli drone falls near Nablus

IDF drone made a forced landing near Nablus. The Israeli military said the vehicle was slightly damaged and has launched an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.

Israeli air force resumes Heron TP operations

The Israeli air force has resumed operations with its Israel Aerospace Industries Heron TP ("Eitan") unmanned air systems, after lifting a grounding order imposed following a 29 January mishap. An aircraft crashed minutes after taking off from an air base in central Israel during the ill-fated test flight.

A combined investigation conducted by the air force and IAI concluded that the crash was caused by a structural failure in the medium-altitude, long-endurance design's wing, probably due to a manufacturing process. This counters an initial suggestion that the UAS had come down after exceeding the limitations of its flight envelope.

Powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6 turboprop engine, the Heron TP is the Israeli air force's largest unmanned aircraft. It has a fuselage length of 13m (43ft), a 26m wingspan and a maximum take-off weight of more than 4t, and is designed for autonomous take-off and landing.

The aircraft's composite fuselage is designed to accommodate large volume payloads, with the type having a service ceiling above 45,000ft (13,700m) and an estimated maximum endurance of more than 70h.