Turkey has taken delivery of six Heron drone aircraft from Israel after a long and acrimonious dispute.

The delayed delivery followed a fence-mending trip to Turkey that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak took to in January in a bid to ease the fallout of a diplomatic tiff spanning from the late order and Ankara's criticism of Israeli policies toward the Palestinians.

Placing the order with Israel Aerospace Industries and Elbit, Turkey awarded the lucrative contract five years ago. Both companies beat major U. S. competitors but the contract was bogged from the start with delays stemming from technical problems.

The contract deadline was initially set at 24-30 months. But both contracts missed the first deadline, breaching, also, a follow-up delivery date for the dispatch of four Herons last August.

Israel had provided training to Turkish military personnel who will operate the drones, Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul was purported by national media to have this confirmed. Performance tests were also carried out in Turkey before military officials signed off on delivery of the aircraft from Israel.

The Heron drone is capable of flying at an altitude of 30,000 feet for about 30 hours. Its maximum operating range has been estimated to be 2,000 miles.

Major military forces around the globe have been increasing the use of UAVs for reconnaissance, surveillance and, at times, offensive purposes.

Muslim but secular, Turkey has had a strong history of military cooperation with Israel. It has also acted as an intermediary for the Jewish state with the Arab world. Yet the Heron dispute aggravated relations late last year, forcing senior Israeli officials to meet with high-level government officials to try and mend ties. (With Inputs from Agencies)