An ADF Heron Remotely Piloted Aircraft Detachment (HRPAD) has set a unit record for monthly flying hours, while deployed on operations to Kandahar, Afghanistan, in April.
The fourth rotation (ROT 4) of personnel from HRPAD took out the honours, after clocking 475 hours while flying the aircraft on various intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
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“This exceeds the efforts of previous Heron rotations and means we have reached a point where we are able to achieve a significant amount of time on station providing an all-important ‘eye in the sky’ for our troops,” Commanding Officer HRPAD- ROT 4, WGCDR Greg Wells said.
“One of the advantages of Heron is it can stay airborne for a very long time. We deliver enhanced situational awareness to our soldiers, which is vital in helping them achieve their mission on the ground.”
Comprising a mix of 28 Australian and New Zealand Defence Force personnel, the tri-service unit has logged more than 4600 total flight hours since beginning operations in January last year. ROT 4 currently operates three Heron airframes.
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