The German defense ministry confirmed that it wants to lease IAI Heron TPs as a replacement for the smaller Heron 1 UAVs that it has used over Afghanistan and may soon also fly in support of its troops deployed to Mali. The move came despite Germany’s lead role in the proposed Euro-MALE program, although Berlin was careful to note that the new lease would only “fill a gap” before that project comes to fruition in 2025.

The ministry said that it also considered the GA-ASI Reaper series, but the Heron TPs were available up to 18 months earlier, and the need was urgent, it said. The Heron TPs also came with “scalable armament and a backup landing system.” Germany is the first reported customer outside Israel for the larger Heron.

In a departure for Germany, defense minister Ursula von der Layen said that “a weapons-capable drone …will be the future standard.” But the German parliament will “decide in each particular case” whether the new UAVs would be armed. The German media has speculated that the MBDA Brimstone missile is a candidate weapon. The Heron 1s were unarmed.

Three to five systems would be acquired, to be stationed in Israel for training before relocation to Schleswig airbase in northern Germany. The contract provider for the Heron 1s was originally Rheinmetall Airborne Systems, which was acquired by Airbus Defence & Space in 2013. A company official fully described the operation at the ILA Berlin Air Show in 2014, and confirmed that it would offer to operate the Heron TP for Germany under similar terms.