(NEWS) Spy In The Sky Rakes In Millions For Israel

"The eyes in the sky of modern warfare, whose hallmark hum is heard over Afghanistan, Iraq and Gaza, drones are a key weapon and a major cash earner for Israel, the world's largest exporter of pilotless planes.

With more than 1,000 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) sold, Israel has raked in several hundred million dollars over the years.

Israel's fleet ranges from aircraft which fit in a soldier's backpack to planes the size of a Boeing 737 that can fly as far as Iran.

The flying robots can be used to watch, hunt and kill.

Interest is such that a Turkish military delegation reportedly made a secret trip to Israel last month for training in remote piloting of the Heron drone, despite a major diplomatic crisis between the two countries.

'It's good for reaching remote targets, wherever it's needed,' an officer who would only identify himself as Captain Gil, said, pointing to an IAI Heron on the tarmac of the Palmahim Air Base, near Tel Aviv.

The plane, known in Israel as Shoval - 'trail' in Hebrew - has a 16m (52-foot) wingspan, can fly at an altitude of 30,000 feet (almost 10km) and can stay in the air for 40 hours."