Rheinmetall AG of Düsseldorf has secured an important order from Hungary for Hero Loitering Munitions. Contracts to this effect have now been signed. The munitions are worth a figure in the low three-digit million-euro range. Delivery will begin in 2024 and is scheduled to end in 2025.
Hero Loitering Munitions are a family of operationally proven, widely used effectors which Rheinmetall fabricates and markets in Europe under a cooperation agreement with UVision Air Ltd. of Israel. In October 2021 Rheinmetall and UVision embarked on a strategic partnership aimed at addressing sharply increased demand for remotely controlled precision munitions.
Hero precision munitions provide modern armed forces on today’s battlefields with the ultimate in operational flexibility. The weapon systems possess a unique, autonomous target engagement capability, including reconnaissance, monitoring and recognition. It locates, tracks and engages emerging enemy targets with low signatures beyond the line of sight.
Hero Loitering Munition systems circle over the target zone, locating and tracking the enemy and analysing possible targets. They help to select high-value targets as well as suitable timing, direction and angle of attack before carrying out a high-precision strike. Hero Loitering Munition systems feature a high degree of commonality and can therefore be operated from the same operating and datalink terminal on the ground.
All Hero systems are designed to operate in complex battlefield conditions, including in environments without GPS reception or jammed radio connections. Modern armed forces around the world, among them those of major NATO members, use Hero Loitering Munitions, which have proven highly effective in combat operations.
The Hero system has demonstrated its effectiveness against a multitude of different targets, including infantry, light vehicles on the move, tanks, enemy field fortifications, air defence systems and critical infrastructure. It offers major advantages in modern warfare scenarios. Thanks to their rapid deployability and independent target acquisition and engagement capabilities, Hero Loitering Munitions can operate at all echelons, from supreme headquarters to the individual soldier on the ground, and lend themselves to strategic and tactical missions alike.
I think that what these weapons are designed to do, moreso than go after targets of opportunity, is to create a 24hr constant harassment of line of departure forces and those in depth such that commanders are never able to keep their forces operationally “fresh”. Effectively future commanders need to acknowledge that the morale and unit cohesion they start a fight with is as good as it’s ever going to get with these things in the air. Your force will receive no rest and neither will your reinforcements. You will have one good relatively prime period of 72-96 hours (first 3 days of war) in which to achieve your objectives before any stalled momentum brings you to the attention of these ‘harpies’ and they proceed to sap your unit strength relentlessly till war’s end.
Basically these things, in sufficient quantities, will do away with unit and reserve rotation. What’s the point if all your units are perpetually unable to regenerate past 50% effectiveness?
The harpies constant harassment of king Phineus is a great analogy.
They should change the name from hero to harpy or ex- wife. ?
Those Hero munitions are having ridiculously high failure rates. Good idea, poor execution.