EADS Harfang

The French Air Force purchased its first drones in 1995, with multiple RQ-5 Hunter units. The IAI Heron was put on display at the 1999 Paris Air Show and generated some interest; a project to field a derivative was started two years later. On 9 September 2006, a prototype was launched for trials from Istres-Le Tubé Air Base. Trials by the Centre d'essais en vol followed, before transfer of the plane to Mont-de-Marsan Air Base

The drone was originally planned to be delivered to the Air Force for the summer of 2003 as a replacement for the Hunters, which were phased out in September 2004. A number of industrial setbacks delayed the delivery, notably that the satellite communication system did not conform with Air Force requirements. The drones were modified to satisfy the requirements, changing them from an "off-the-shelf" product into a custom plane built specially for the French Air Force. The plane and onboard computer are built by Malat, a division of Israel Aerospace Industries, based on the IAI Heron.

The French Air Force ordered three planes and two ground control stations. The SIDM entered service in June 2008 in the Drone Experimentation Squadron 1/330 Adour, in Cognac, a unit of the Centre des expérimentations militaires. A four-phase programme took place between 2008 and 2009:

• instruction of the squadron in the use of the system
• instruction of the operators in the sensors
• C4ISTAR management and communication to upper levels
• communication with ground forces

The Harfang is composed of two main components: the drone and the ground control station.

In 2007, the Harfang was deployed in Lourdes to provide security for Pope Benedict XVI.[2]

In February 2009, the three Harfangs were sent to Afghanistan and deployed at Bagram Airfield, under Lieutenant-colonel Cyril Carcy.[3] In late March or early April, drone number F-SDAY was damaged when it crashed due to freezing, and possibly to human or software error. Purchase of a fourth vehicle to replace F-SDAY is under consideration, while it is being repaired and redeployed in France for training.

In August 2011, Harfangs were deployed in the Libyan conflict.[4]

France intends to replace the Harfang by 2014 with MQ-9 Reaper UAVs ordered in 2013.[5]

On 5–6 June 2013, Harfang UAVs carried out their hundredth sortie during Operation Serval in Mali. Deployed since 17 January, Harfangs flew 1,600 hours during the day and night.[6] From January 2013 to September 2013, the Harfang flew 2,000 hours in support of French operations.[7]

As of 2016, Harfang drones were being used for homeland security missions in mainland France.[8]

In early 2018, the French Air Force retired all of its Harfangs.[9] In 2020, the three UAVs were delivered to Morocco, which had bought them in 2014 for $48 million.[10]

• Eagle 0 : prototype, first flight in 1998.
• Eagle 1 : first production versions, first flight on 2 June 2003 in Israel.
• Eagle MPR : naval version of Eagle 1.
• Eagle 2 : larger version of Eagle 1 with a Pratt & Whitney PT6 turbopropeller.

Data from

General characteristics

• Length: 9.3 m (30 ft 6 in)
• Wingspan: 16.6 m (54 ft 6 in)
• Empty weight: 657 kg (1,448 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 1,250 kg (2,756 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 914F 4-cylinder turbo-charged four-stroke horizontally-opposed piston engine with air-cooled cylinders and liquid-cooled cylinder heads., 86 kW (115 hp)
• Propellers: 2-bladed constant-speed pusher propeller

Performance

• Range: 1,000 km (620 mi, 540 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 7,620 m (25,000 ft)

Avionics

• Optronic sensors
• SAR/MTI mobile target detection radar
• Line-of-sight and satellite communication systems
• Laser telemeter-designator

Wikimedia Commons has media related to EADS Harfang.

• List of unmanned aerial vehicles