As the ceasefire with Iran hangs on by a thread, the IDF’s remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) array is already preparing for the next war with the Islamic Republic. Operation Roaring Lion was marked by long‑range strikes, dense missile barrages, and unprecedented drone activity across the region, with thousands of hours and countless operations carried out by RPAs.
Col. K, the head of the Israel Air Force’s UAV and Intelligence Department, told Defense & Tech by The Jerusalem Post that RPAs, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), have become “central to every front” and will only grow more critical in the years ahead.
K described a force that has rapidly expanded its capabilities, adapted to new threats, and proven its resilience under fire.
“Over the past two years of fighting, including the recent campaign against Iran, our RPAs have become central to every front,” she said. “From Gaza to Lebanon to deep inside Iran, UAVs allow us to operate near and far without risking human life.”
Israel’s long‑range drone operations have now become a visible component of the conflict. According to K, the 12 Day War in June 2025, known as Operation Rising Lion, marked a turning point.
“For the first time, in June, we opened the door to sending drones far beyond our borders,” K said. “Most of the officers in my department are engineers, and their work is what gives these platforms the ability to fly such long distances.”
Israel is a global leader in UAV technology and has several different platforms capable of flying to Iran and carrying out missions, from ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) to striking targets.
Rising Lion vs Roaring Lion
During the June war, Israeli UAVs flew thousands of hours and carried out around 500 attacks in Iran, making up around 50 percent of the total aerial attacks. This time around, Israeli RPAs flew even longer, and alongside American systems.
Unlike manned aircraft that can carry out refueling operations during their missions, UAVs cannot. They rely solely on the fuel they receive before taking to the skies.
As Iran launched waves of missiles and attack drones toward Israel and regional targets, the IAF relied heavily on its unmanned fleet to locate and strike launch sites, weapons warehouses, and logistical hubs.
According to K, “Every aircraft is valuable; we prefer to send a UAV rather than send a manned platform if they can achieve the same at the end of the day, to attack and destroy threats.”
UAVs, she said, “hunted missile launchers, warehouses, and weapons infrastructure, and we succeeded very nicely.”
Using Israeli defense companies
Local defense companies such as Aeronautics, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Elbit Systems, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems are responsible for these UAVs. All sensors and payloads carried by IAF UAVs are also domestically produced and have been upgraded significantly during the war.
“We use technologies that allow our aircraft to fly in GPS‑denied environments,” K said. While Gaza may be easier, “operationally, there is no difference between Iran and Lebanon in that regard. Each conflict teaches us something new.”
The IAF has invested heavily in technologies that allow drones to operate, even when GPS signals are jammed or denied – conditions that are common in Iranian and Lebanese airspace.
“All our payloads are Blue and white, just like our platforms,” she said. “They give us day‑and‑night visibility to protect our troops and identify targets, whether in Gaza, Lebanon, or Iran. Over the past two years, we’ve increased both our munitions capacity and the capabilities of our payloads.”
Aircraft losses
One of the most dramatic incidents of the war involved a Heron that survived a direct hit during a mission over Iran.
“One of our platforms was hit by a missile over Iran,” K said. “It came back with holes everywhere, even in the fuel tank. It was a miracle that it returned home. We restored it, and it went back out on more missions.”
Israel and the United States have remained tight-lipped about the number of UAV losses, but the US is estimated to have lost at least 20 Reaper drones, and Israel is rumored to have lost over a dozen.
“It’s a war. You plan for something, and then you meet the enemy,” she said. “We lost some platforms, and every platform is important, but we learned even more. Thanks to our people and how we prepared our systems, the number of losses remained low, and we continued to operate.”
Expanding the fleet for endless possibilities
Looking ahead, the IAF plans to further expand its unmanned fleet.
“We are about to receive more Heron MK2 aircraft and will open a new squadron this year,” she said. “Next year, we’ll bring in the Hermes 650 Spark. The future is UAVs. There are endless possibilities for these platforms.”
K added that the IAF continues to study other conflicts, including the war in Ukraine, even as Israel faces its own evolving threats. “The war in Ukraine is different, but you are always learning and investigating,” she said. “The Ukrainian arena is different, but every conflict teaches us something.”
Following the pace and scale of Operation Roaring Lion, she said the IAF’s posture remains constant even with the current ceasefire.
“There was a huge success on our side. But we are always ready. We cannot afford not to be ready. We will always be ready.”