The Heron, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, leased through Macdonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA), is prepared my maintainers of MDA prior to launch at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, early February 11, 2009. The recently acquired Heron is replacing the previously used Sperwers and will provide the operators with indispensable surveillance and intelligence gathering capabilities that can be used in a variety of ways. They can be used to track Canadian troop movements on the ground, as well as the ability to watch insurgent activity on Afghan roads. Canada’s military contribution to Afghanistan is known as Joint Task Force - Afghanistan (JTF-Afg). The Task Force comprises of approximately 2,800 personnel with operations focusing on working with Afghan authorities to improve security, governance and economic development in the country. (Image has been digitally altered for reasons of operational security) Photo by: MCpl Robert Bottrill, CF Combat Camera

Sergeant Parker Lambert, Payload Vehicle Operator for Canada’s new Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) detachment, operates the Heron from his post in the Ground Control Station (GCS) for the UAV at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The recently acquired Heron is replacing the previously used Sperwers and will provide the operators with indispensable surveillance and intelligence gathering capabilities that can be used in a variety of ways. They can be used to track Canadian troop movements on the ground, as well as the ability to watch insurgent activity on Afghan roads. Canada’s military contribution to Afghanistan is known as Joint Task Force - Afghanistan (JTF-Afg). The Task Force comprises of approximately 2,800 personnel with operations focusing on working with Afghan authorities to improve security, governance and economic development in the country. (Image has been digitally altered for reasons of operational security) Photo by: MCpl Robert Bottrill, CF Combat Camera

Payload Vehicle Operator, Sergeant Parker Lambert (left) and Air Vehicle Operator, Captain Fred Jones, man their post in the Ground Control Station (GCS) for Canada’s new Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The recently acquired Heron is replacing the previously used Sperwers and will provide the operators with indispensable surveillance and intelligence gathering capabilities that can be used in a variety of ways. They can be used to track Canadian troop movements on the ground, as well as the ability to watch insurgent activity on Afghan roads. Canada’s military contribution to Afghanistan is known as Joint Task Force - Afghanistan (JTF-Afg). The Task Force comprises of approximately 2,800 personnel with operations focusing on working with Afghan authorities to improve security, governance and economic development in the country. (Image has been digitally altered for reasons of operational security) Photo by: MCpl Robert Bottrill, CF Combat Camera