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Australia extends Afghan service for Heron UAVs

The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) is to extend the presence of its Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Afghanistan through to mid-2014, it announced on 11 December.

With the Australian Defence Force (ADF) set to end its deployment to Uruzgan province in the coming weeks, its Heron operations will shift from central Afghanistan primarily, to the south of the country for the final phase of its mission in support of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The Herons will be withdrawn from theatre in July 2014.

Three Heron UAVs have been used by the ADF as part of its Operation 'Slipper' mission to Afghanistan since 2009, since when they have been providing Australian and coalition forces with an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability.

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