Berlin was supposed to follow in France's footsteps, as Paris decided to acquire the Israeli UAV. However, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian suspended the acquisition almost immediately after the country's presidential elections.
Germany is said to be reviewing its operational requirements ahead of a decision on the deal.
Since 2010, the German Military has been using the smaller, IAI Heron-1 UAV for its missions in Afghanistan. These UAVs were delivered as part of the cooperation between IAI and the Germany's Rheinmetall Defence.
US manufacturer General Atomics has identified prospective markets and it gearing to penetrate them by placing an emphasis on unarmed UAV models.
The company claims to have identified potential clients in South America and the Middle East, among others. Approximately 500 Predator drones have been sold to-date, mostly to the US Army, as well as to the UK, Italy and Turkey. UAVs operated by the US Army are mostly armed.
US exports of UAV models were restricted until recently, due to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) treaty. The unarmed UAV model has yet to be sold to foreign countries.
General Atomics plans to export the Predator XP model, which the company intends to offer to many countries – some of the existing clients of Israeli UAV manufacturers.
The American unmanned aerial vehicle is considered one of the more advanced UAVs in the world. Its weight stands at approximately half a ton, and it has an endurance of 24 hours and a maximum altitude of 7km.
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