Credit
SSGT REYNALDO RAMON · Public domain · Resized · Public domain · Source ↗ · Modified
FORCETALLY
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BDrones & UAVs
Maritime unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicle and patrol aircraft
At a glance
Measured figures
MQ-4C · Height
Single source15 ft 5 in (4.6 m)[source]
1 × Rotax 916 4-cylinder air and water cooled horizontally-opposed piston engine
Single source1 × Rotax 916 4-cylinder air and water cooled horizontally-opposed piston engine, 160 kW (210 hp)[source]
MQ-4C · 1 × Rolls-Royce AE 3007 turbofan engine thrust
Single source1 × Rolls-Royce AE 3007 turbofan engine, 6,495–8,917 lbf (28.89–39.66 kN) thrust[source]
490 ft/min
Single source2.5 m/s (490 ft/min)[source]
Bars compare reported quantities only. A larger figure does not make a system better; configurations and test conditions differ.
Configuration
| Specification | IAI Heron | Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton |
|---|---|---|
| Crew | — | Unmanned – 4 personnel fly aircraft from ground station[source] |
| Type | Unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicle[source] | Maritime unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicle and patrol aircraft[source] |
| National origin | Israel[source] | United States[source] |
| Manufacturer | Israel Aerospace Industries[source] | Northrop Grumman[source] |
| Status | Active, in production[source] | Limited service[source] |
| Primary users | Israeli Defence Force Indian Air Force Azerbaijan Air Force Brazilian Federal Police Turkish Air Force[source] | United States Navy Royal Australian Air Force[source] |
| Introduction date | 2005[source] | May 2018[source] |
| First flight | 1994[source] | 22 May 2013 ( 2013-05-22 )[source] |
| Variants | EADS Harfang IAI Eitan Avionics Services Caçador[source] | — |
| Capacity | 250 kg (551 lb)[source] | — |
| Airfoil | IAI SA-21[source] | — |
| Propellers | 3-bladed pusher propeller[source] | — |
| Wing loading | 89 kg/m 2 (18 lb/sq ft)[source] | — |
| Number built | — | US: 68 (planned) + 2 prototypes Australia: 3 delivered out of 4 ordered[source] |
| Manufactured | — | 48 as of 2024[source] |
| Developed from | — | Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk[source] |
| Alternative designation | — | MQ-4C Triton[source] |