Israel’s heaviest armed drone, the Hermes 900, is now using gravity bombs that weigh as much as a ton, Reuters reported last week.
A gravity bomb is a conventional or nuclear aircraft-delivered bomb that does not contain a guidance system and simply follows a ballistic trajectory. The casings for unguided bombs are aerodynamic, with fins at the tail section, to reduce drag and increase stability after release to improve accuracy.
A senior IDF officer told Reuters that Israel’s armed drone Heron TP, which is the size of a passenger plane, is the heaviest IDF drone and can carry munitions with an effective payload of around a ton.
But the officer then clarified: “This does not necessarily mean they can carry a one-ton bomb. It very much depends on the positioning of the munitions.”
The medium-altitude, long-endurance Eitan can operate at altitudes above commercial air traffic and has an all-weather capability, de-icing systems, automatic takeoff and landing systems, and triple-redundant avionics. A single turboprop engine is mounted in the rear fuselage, driving a pusher propeller. Construction throughout is of composite materials.
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