The German Air Force has put its drone airfield in Jagel into operation. A key partner is the German defence division of Airbus. Domestic missions are also possible.
On 12 April 2005, the then acting Defence Minister Peter Struck (“Social Democrats”) decided to expand the Jagel airbase between Kiel and Flensburg for large military drones, and to date the Bundeswehr has spent hundreds of millions on the project. Ten years later, the “Eurohawk” spy drone was to be based there, but the entire project was cancelled due to a lack of permission to fly.
Another ten years later, the first long-range drone is now being stationed at the airbase: A “Heron TP” took off for its maiden flight on Wednesday. Just a week ago, the German Armed Forces’ aviation authority granted the system a licence to use the system.
The “Heron TP”, which is powered by two propellers, comes from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Israel’s largest aerospace company. The German Armed Forces flew IAI drones in Afghanistan from 2010 and later in Mali. Unlike its predecessor, however, the “Heron TP” can be equipped with missiles and guided bombs. This armament was the subject of an almost ten-year “drone debate” in Germany, which finally ended in 2022 with a “yes” to the procurement. According to the Ministry of Defence, however, the flights in Germany will take place without weapons.
The deployment of the first of a total of five “Heron TPs” is to be a six-month “demonstration flight operation”, which is likely to be extended. The pilot project is entitled “National and Alliance Defence”. The air force wants to use the drones to supplement the training that has so far taken place exclusively in Israel. The Bundeswehr returned two training drones to the Israeli military after 7 October.
The “Heron TP” with the aviation code “3EBD4C” is authorised to fly over northern Germany together with civilian and military aircraft in controlled airspace (edit: other flights showed the code “3F76B9”). This authorisation is almost unique in Europe: to date, IAI drones have only been allowed to share airspace with civilian aircraft in Greece, apart from Israel. The German Air Force wants to go even further and, after the “initial phase”, also carry out cross-border flights with the combat drone. So far, this type of cooperation only exists between France and Spain, where the military flies the US competitor model “Predator”.
The main contractor for the German Air Force drones leased from Israel is the defence division of Airbus. The Bremen-based company also carries out repairs and maintenance work and is authorised to test fly the drones on a regular basis. Even before the official maiden flight, Airbus completed such a test flight on 8 May.
The German Air Force emphasises that unmanned flights are no more dangerous than manned flights. In the event of a “connection failure”, the pre-programmed flight is “permanently monitored”. Nevertheless, a crash or a “hard landing” can occur, in which the aircraft is destroyed. An IAI drone that Airbus was flying for the EU border agency Frontex has already crashed into the sea in Greece. A similar model from Israel had previously crashed on the runway in Crete.
The main task of the German “Heron TP” is ” imagery reconnaissance” with various camera and radar systems. The drone is intended to accompany convoys or ships, for example. It can remain in the air for up to 27 hours. However, domestic missions are also possible, for example to support the police in major incidents. For example, the “Immelmann” Tornado squadron, which is also stationed in Jagel, carried out reconnaissance flights over a protest camp and possible blockade routes at the 2007 G8 summit in Heiligendamm.
The total cost of the five combat drones, including ground stations and satellite systems, was given by the Ministry of Defence as €717 million. The Bundeswehr is paying €176 million for the deployment and training in Israel. An initial deployment to an operational area is expected to cost a further €100 million, plus an additional €43 million for a first batch of 140 missiles.
The “Heron TP” is also only seen by the German Air Force as an interim solution until the introduction of the “Eurodrone” from 2030, a system that is also being developed by Airbus and is intended to provide several EU states with unmanned capabilities. According to the plans, 21 German “Eurodrones” will also be stationed in Jagel. The overall project will cost at least €7.6 billion, with Germany accounting for half of this sum.
Published in German in „nd“.
Image: The air force is excited – probably also because the new giant drone is also allowed to fly outside reserved airspace (Luftwaffe).
