By Arie Egozi, Autonomy Global – Ambassador for Israel
The global demand for Israeli-made loitering munitions has accelerated as recent conflicts in Ukraine and Israel push more European militaries to invest in precision strike capabilities with minimal collateral damage. The United States recognized the operational value of these systems years ago, which positioned UVision’s HERO family as a core component of its evolving precision fires portfolio.
US Demand Sets the Pace
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Defense awarded a $73.5 million USD contract to Mistral Group and UVision for Hero‑120SF loitering munition systems for U.S. Special Operations Command, with performance running through 2029. The package includes munitions, spare parts, engineering upgrades and new equipment training, with production in South Carolina under UVision USA to strengthen supply chain security and qualify the deal as a U.S. domestic transaction.
The Hero‑120SF is a mid‑range, anti‑armour loitering weapon with a 4.5 kg warhead, up to 60 km range and up to 60 minutes loitering time, optimized for heavy strikes against tanks, vehicles, and other hardened targets while limiting collateral damage.
European Customer Builds Independent Capability
Responding to battlefield lessons from Ukraine and the Middle East, a leading European defence customer has completed an extended UVision training program designed to establish an independent, sovereign HERO capability. The program qualified dozens of operators, certified local instructors and created a dedicated maintenance framework to sustain long‑term availability and readiness of the systems.
During live‑fire phases, a substantial number of HERO loitering munitions were launched with a very high success rate. This positions the systems as the primary live‑fire training platform for the broader HERO family
Multi-Layered HERO Strike Ecosystem
Beyond training, the European customer has procured across the HERO portfolio, including Hero‑30, Hero‑120, and Hero‑400, to build a tiered strike architecture from tactical to medium and long‑range missions. This layered approach enables forces to match munition size, range and warhead effects to the target set and increase operational flexibility and lethality.
The broad adoption underscores both the maturity of the HERO ecosystem and the customer’s long‑term commitment to UVision’s solutions as a comprehensive force multiplier for future operations.
Training Framework Accelerates Readiness
UVision’s training concept combines structured operator qualification, instructor certification and organic maintenance training into a single framework aimed at rapid fielding and scalable force build‑up. Operators can progress from initial instruction to live‑fire execution within days, then advance to autonomous mission planning and long‑term sustainment through trained in‑country maintenance teams.
This integrated methodology supports continuous proficiency, national sustainment of capabilities and fast adaptation as new systems and mission profiles are introduced.
Strategic Shift in Loitering Munitions Adoption
The recent European training milestone reflects a broader shift in how advanced militaries view loitering munitions as core elements of modern fires and reconnaissance ecosystems. With HERO systems now firmly embedded in both U.S. and European force structures, UVision is positioned as a key enabler of precision, long‑range and low‑signature strike capabilities for current and future conflicts.
UVision Group CEO Dr. Ran Gozali emphasized that the program demonstrates both the operational maturity of HERO systems and the company’s ability to deliver end‑to‑end training and sustainment frameworks tailored to national requirements.