Eitan: Israel develops the world's largest UAV
24 Jan 2007
An Agence France-Presse (AFP) report has quoted Israeli news paper Yediot Aharonot as saying that Israel is developing the world's largest unmanned aircraft. The drone is designed for long-range operations, such as targeting and destroying ballistic missiles even as they are being launched.
According to the report, the drone Eitan has been developed by the Israel Aircraft Industries and will have a wing span of 35 meters (110 feet), which will be similar in size to that of a Boeing 737 passenger plane.
The AFP report quotes the Yediot Aharonot daily as saying that the drone was designed for long endurance and high altitude flights and is equipped with an array of advanced cameras and missiles which allow it to identify and intercept long-range missiles as they are being fired on the ground.
The Eitan, according to the Yediot report, is due to make its maiden flight in the coming days.