Israel’s military grounded a fleet of high-altitude surveillance drones on Sunday after one was downed over the Mediterranean Sea.
The military said it intentionally crashed the unmanned aircraft late Saturday because of a malfunction. The IAF Heron-1 UAV was downed by the air force after its controllers discovered an engine failure. The failure was discovered during a routine flight over the Mediterranean, off the coast of Netanya.
The IDF’s Spokesman’s Office said the army shot down the drone fearing it would crash into a populated area. Local residents reported seeing helicopters searching the area by the light of flares in an effort to locate remains from the crash.
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The military did not say how many aircraft were grounded, but the planes will stay down during an investigation.
The Israeli-made Heron-1 is one of the most advanced UAVs in the world. It can remain airborne for more than two days without requiring refueling, gathering intelligence from high altitudes. Last year, a larger Heron TP drone crashed on a routine flight.
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