Aerostar UAV: the Aeronautics Tactical Aircraft
The Aerostar is a tactical unmanned aircraft from Israel's Aeronautics Group. Cyprus bought four of them outright, while the Dutch military rented the same aircraft as a flying service.
What the Aerostar UAV Is
The Aerostar is a tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) built by Aeronautics Group of Israel for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) work. Aeronautics designed it for the Israel Defense Forces, and its published mission set covers artillery fire adjustment, target designation and border control. One aircraft can find a target and then hold a laser on it for another shooter.
The Aerostar carries up to 50 kg of sensors in a single payload bay. That capacity covers stabilised electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) cameras, laser designators, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and signals-intelligence receivers. An operator can change the mission by swapping the payload instead of buying a second aircraft type.
Aeronautics sells the Aerostar alongside the smaller Orbiter family. Orbiter aircraft are catapult-launched and sized to be carried and flown by a small unit. The Aerostar is the larger airframe, and its payload bay lifts sensors an Orbiter cannot.
Published Aerostar UAV Specifications
Published Aerostar figures trace back to Aeronautics material restated by third parties, and they do not fully agree. The specifications below come from Airforce Technology and from the Cypriot procurement briefing reported by DEFENCE ReDEFiNED.
| Specification | Published figure | What it buys the operator |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum take-off weight | 220 kg to 230 kg, depending on the source | Sets the launch and recovery gear a customer has to field |
| Payload weight | 50 kg | Enough for a camera turret and a radar on the same flight |
| Endurance | Up to 12 hours | One aircraft covers a full watch without a relief airframe |
| Maximum speed | 110 knots (203 km/h) | Fast enough to reposition, slow enough to loiter over a target |
| Wingspan | 7.5 m | Sized for a tactical unit rather than an air base |
| Service ceiling | 18,000 ft | Keeps the aircraft above small-arms range |
| Range | 200 km | Covers a border sector from one ground station |
Where the Aerostar UAV Numbers Disagree
The two published sources differ on maximum take-off weight by about 10 kg. That gap is small. It still works as a test of any spec sheet, because a page that restates a manufacturer brochure will reproduce the brochure number and its rounding.
A figure quoted by the government that accepted delivery describes aircraft sitting on a ramp. That makes the Cypriot number the better anchor for the base airframe. This profile carries a weight range instead of one figure for that reason.
The Aerostar-C Long-Endurance Variant
The Aerostar-C is the stretched version of the same aircraft, first flown in 2010. FlightGlobal reported a 300 kg maximum take-off weight, an 80 kg payload and a 10 metre wingspan, 2.5 metres wider than the base aircraft.
Endurance roughly doubles to 24 hours on a 65 horsepower four-stroke engine. One Aerostar-C can hold a target area overnight without launching a relief aircraft, which halves the number of airframes a continuous watch needs.
Who Flies the Aerostar UAV
Four operators appear in the public record for the Aerostar: Israel, the Netherlands, Cyprus and Azerbaijan.
- Israel. Aeronautics built the aircraft for the Israel Defense Forces, and that is the reference deployment every later export traces back to.
- The Netherlands. FlightGlobal reported a contract worth up to 50 million euros, with the Aerostar deployed to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan from 2010. The aircraft were flown by staff from a British firm trained by Aeronautics.
- Cyprus. Four aircraft were delivered during 2019 for a reported 12 million euros, the first tactical UAV the Cypriot air arm operated.
- Azerbaijan. A joint venture between the Azerbaijani government and Aeronautics assembles the aircraft locally. Aerostars flew in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, and one was shown in the Baku victory parade on 10 December 2020.
How the Aerostar UAV Reaches a Customer
The Aerostar has reached its operators through three different commercial structures, and each one books revenue differently.
- An outright sale, as in Cyprus, where the buyer owns the aircraft and carries the sustainment cost.
- A contractor-operated service, as in the Netherlands, where the buyer purchases surveillance hours and the supplier provides the crews.
- Licensed local assembly, as in Azerbaijan, where part of the build happens inside the buying country.
Why the Dutch Contract Is Read Wrong
The Dutch arrangement is easy to mistake for a purchase. The Netherlands did not buy an air force. It bought surveillance hours, delivered by contractor staff on an Israeli-built aircraft.
That distinction changes what a headline contract value means. A 50 million euro service contract covers crews, spares and flight operations for a period, while a 12 million euro sale covers four airframes and nothing that keeps them flying.
Licensed assembly moves the accounting again. When part of the airframe is built in the buying country, part of the contract value is recognised there rather than in Israel. An export headline therefore does not map cleanly onto an Israeli revenue line.
Why No Listed Security Tracks the Aerostar UAV
No listed security gives direct exposure to the Aerostar. Aeronautics listed in Tel Aviv in 2017 and left the exchange in September 2019. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the investor Avichai Stolero completed a 50/50 acquisition at a reported 850 million shekels, about 240 million dollars.
Rafael is state-owned and does not break out Aeronautics results. Aeronautics has published no independent financials since the delisting. Aerostar order flow therefore surfaces inside owner announcements rather than in filings a researcher can open directly.
The Aerostar is structured differently from Israeli aircraft with a listed parent. Elbit Systems publishes results that carry its Hermes 450 line, so a reader can follow that platform through a security. The Aerostar has no equivalent path.
Where the Aerostar UAV Record Runs Out
A reader looking for a tradeable Aerostar position will not find one. Aeronautics publishes no price list either, so there is no current unit price to quote from the manufacturer.
The two contract values on this page are not comparable. The Cypriot figure covers four aircraft, while the Dutch figure covers a service arrangement with crews and flying hours included.
For the listed side of Israeli unmanned aircraft, Israeli drone companies maps which makers carry a security and which do not. For method rather than a headline number, use military drone cost.
What Would Change This Read
Three changes would put a traceable line under the Aerostar.
- A Rafael listing, or a Rafael disclosure that breaks out Aeronautics results.
- A sale of the Aeronautics stake to a listed defence group, which would move the platform inside a reporting perimeter a researcher can read.
- Export of Azerbaijani-assembled Aerostars, which would give the aircraft a second production base and make Israeli export licensing something other than the only constraint on where it goes.
Where to Take the Aerostar UAV Research Next
None of those three changes has happened yet. Until one does, the Aerostar is a platform an analyst can track through its operators and its export record, but not through a filing.
To place the Aerostar UAV against an aircraft an investor can actually follow, read the Hermes 450 profile next to reconnaissance drones.
Drones and UAS FAQs
What is the Aerostar UAV?
The Aerostar UAV is a tactical unmanned aircraft built by Aeronautics Group of Israel for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. It carries up to 50 kg of sensors in one payload bay, including stabilised electro-optical and infrared cameras, laser designators, synthetic aperture radar and signals-intelligence receivers. Published endurance for the base aircraft is up to 12 hours.
How long can the Aerostar UAV stay in the air?
Up to 12 hours for the base aircraft. The stretched Aerostar-C roughly doubles that to 24 hours on a 65 horsepower four-stroke engine. That endurance lets one airframe hold a target area overnight without launching a relief aircraft.
Which countries operate the Aerostar UAV?
Israel, the Netherlands, Cyprus and Azerbaijan appear in the public record. Israel is the original customer. The Netherlands deployed the aircraft in Afghanistan under a contractor-operated arrangement, Cyprus took four airframes in 2019, and Azerbaijan assembles the type locally through a joint venture with Aeronautics.
Is there a way to invest in the Aerostar UAV?
Not directly. Aeronautics has been private since September 2019, when Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the investor Avichai Stolero acquired it 50/50 and took it off the Tel Aviv exchange. Rafael is state-owned and does not break out Aeronautics results, so no listed security tracks Aerostar orders.
What is the difference between the Aerostar and the Orbiter?
Size and launch method. Orbiter aircraft are catapult-launched and sized to be carried by a small unit. The Aerostar is a larger airframe, and its payload bay lifts sensors an Orbiter cannot. The two lines answer to different customers and different procurement cycles despite sharing a badge.
Primary sources
- Aeronautics: product catalogue
- Airforce Technology: Aerostar tactical UAV specifications
- FlightGlobal: new Aerostar UAV makes first flight
- FlightGlobal: Aeronautics outlines the Aerostar deal with the Dutch military
- DEFENCE ReDEFiNED: Aerostar, the first tactical UAV of the Cyprus National Guard
- Oryx: Azerbaijan drone arsenal, including AZAD Systems Aerostar assembly
- Defense News: Rafael acquires Aeronautics in a $240M deal