Turkey’s six Heron drones, located at an air base near Turkey’s Iraqi and Iranian borders, have stopped flying, after Israeli operators left the base due to Turkish-Israeli tensions.

Turkish Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul told the Anatolia News Agency that Turkish personnel would soon begin operating the Herons.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Go deeper with GlobalData

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

Turkish personnel were trained in Israel to operate the drones and have operated the UAVs in Turkey since their delivery, according to Gonul.

Turkey-Israeli political relations have been strained since Israeli commandos raided a Turkish-led aid flotilla bound for the Palestinian Gaza Strip on 31 May 2010, killing nine Turks.

Turkey received the six Herons in April from Israel Aerospace Industries and Elbit as part of a $188m contract signed in 2005.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Airforce Technology Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Airforce Technology Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.


Excellence in Action
Discover how Virtualitics is transforming mission readiness with explainable AI, predictive maintenance, and data-driven decision intelligence across the U.S. Department of Defense through its AI-powered Integrated Readiness Optimization suite, for which it has won the Innovation and Business Expansion awards.

Discover the Impact