Azerbaijan displays Hero-120 loitering munition

The Hero-120SF loitering munition and probable Spike SR were displayed with a launcher for the longer-range versions of the Spike family and Russian Konkurs and Kornet anti-tank guided missile systems. (Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Azerbaijan)

Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defence (MoD) revealed that it has acquired the Israeli-made Uvision Hero-120 loitering munition on 8 October, when it released a photograph of one at a location it identified as a base were special forces recruits were being trained.

The photograph showed the loitering munition displayed next to an information board identifying it as the Hero-120SF variant.

The Hero-120 is an electrically powered weapon that unfolds two sets of cruciform wings after it is launched from a tube that can be carried by a soldier or mounted on a vehicle. The weapon has a gimbaled camera that the operator can use to identify and attack a target. Uvision says it weighs 24 kg with a 4.5 kg warhead, has a range of up to 60 km, and an endurance of up to 60 minutes.

When Uvision announced in June 2024 that it and its US partner Mistral Inc had secured a USD73.5 million contract to supply an unspecified number of Hero-120SFs to US Special Operations Command (SOCOM), it said this version “includes enhancements such as improved payload capacity, advanced guidance systems, and increased flexibility for deployment from various platforms”.

That corresponded with a US Department of Defense announcement on 17 May 2024 that a contract worth the same amount had been awarded to Mistral to supply SOCOM with GOLAM II munitions, a reference to the Ground Organic Loitering Aerial Munition.