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India's love affair with the Israeli Heron drone seems to be hitting a rough patch – and it's a bumpy ride that's been going on for a while. Here we go again with another Heron crashing in the unforgiving desert near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
Thankfully, there were no casualties or property damage on the ground this time. But this latest incident adds to a string of Heron mishaps that has become a major concern for the Indian Air Force (IAF).
One Crash, Every Year
Here's the worrying part: This isn't a fluke. Since 2013, India has seen a Heron drone go down every single year. That's a troubling consistency, especially for a sophisticated and expensive piece of military hardware. Each Heron sets the IAF back a cool Rs 80 crore!The crashes have happened during missions of all sorts, including routine training exercises like this recent one. That throws a wrench into the idea that these are just "battlefield hiccups."
The Heron is a workhorse for the IAF, Army, and Navy, used for critical surveillance and reconnaissance missions, especially along India's sensitive borders.
Time for Answers
The IAF, as always, has launched a Court of Inquiry to determine the cause of this latest crash. But will we get real answers? Past incidents have been attributed to everything from engine failure to technical malfunctions. Is that the whole story, or is there something more at play?India's armed forces deserve reliable equipment. They shouldn't have to take to the skies worried their drone might become a very expensive falling star. It's time for the IAF and the manufacturer to get serious about solving this ongoing problem and get the Herons back on track – safely.
