Germany is planning to buy three Heron TP UAVs from Israel, despite the questionable price tag that goes way beyond those of Heron TP’s counterparts.
The deal, including three Heron TP HALE UAVs and operating costs, is nearly a billion Euros. Three units cost €630 million, while the five-year operational cost is around €300 million, according to Bloomberg’s report. With this, the Heron TP fleet will go from five to eight units.
The deal for three Heron TP UAVs is a part of Germany’s large-scale military modernisation plans, which include the Eurofighter T5 and new armoured vehicles.
Each drone has a price tag of nearly $253 million; even with secondary acquisitions alongside the platforms, which is questionable in terms of price/performance scale. For a comparison, even the MQ-9B Reaper, which is a comparable platform, cost India $129 million per unit. While Heron TP has a considerably longer endurance compared to its counterparts, that does not explain the huge gap in price tag.
Another thing to note is, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated last month that the arms exports to Israel have been halted with the worsening situation in Gaza. However, the plan for Heron TPs is still in motion.
