An Indian Air Force (IAF) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) crashed near Bhuj in Kutch district on Wednesday afternoon at around 1.40 pm. There was no casualty reported on ground.
Talking to The Pioneer Defence PRO at Ahmedabad, Wing Commander Abhishek Matiman confirmed that Heron UAV of IAF used for surveillance in the bordering district Kutch crashed on the outskirts of Mankunva village. The village is situated around 40 km from the district place Bhuj.The Heron UAV was acquired from Israel and it approximate cost is around Rs80 crore, said sources.
According to sources in IAF, Heron was a medium-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle developed by Malat division of Israel Aerospace industry and the UAV was capable of medium altitude long endurance operations of up to 52-hour duration.The remote-controlled UAV was on flying mission. “As per the primary report, there was no casualty reported on ground. Since it was UAV, there was no pilot in it. The reason for the crash will be known only after a court of enquiry give its final report,” said official sources.