Israeli Army Grounds Shoval Drone Fleet After New Crash

On January 21, an IAI Heron-1 drone, also known as Shoval, crashed while taking off from an unspecified airbase in Israel, according to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

“A Shoval drone was damaged during takeoff earlier this morning. There were no injuries and the incident will be investigated,” the IDF said in a statement.

“The commander of the Air Force, Major General Tomer Bar, ordered that the Shoval fleet be grounded until the end of the investigation of the incident.”

An Israeli military source said that the advanced drone was damaged as a result of the crash. Nevertheless, it will be repaired.

This was the third time in four months that the IAF had grounded the fleet of Shoval drones. In September, a drone crashed into the sea along Israel’s maritime border with Lebanon and was retrieved by the Israeli Navy. Later in November, another crashed near the southern Israeli city of Arad.

The cause of the new drone incident was not reportedly related to an engine problem that was behind the November crash.

The Shoval can operate of up to 52 hours at a maximum altitude of 10.5 kilometers. In its most basic configuration, the drone is equipped with a satellite data-link and an optical surveillance system. It can be also fitted with a maritime radar, electronic and signal intelligence gathering systems, or even armed to conduct combat missions.

The IDF’s Shovel drones are mainly operated by the Israeli Air Force 200 Squadron, also known as the Drone Squadron, which is based at Palmachim Airbase in the central coast of Israel.

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