Elbit is to supply the IDF with its Hermes 900 UAS Systems, along with additional Hermes 450 UAS Systems and an enhancement of the existing UAS intelligence capabilities. The company announced on May 2 that it was awarded an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) contract from the Israeli Ministry of Defense, valued at approximately $50 million. Under the contract, Elbit Systems will supply the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) with its brand new Hermes 900 unmanned systems along with additional Hermes 450 unmanned systems to expand the IDF’s current Hermes 450 fleet. In addition, the Company will supply the IDF with an enhancement of its existing UAS intelligence capabilities. The contract will be carried out over a three-year period.
With enhanced endurance, Elbit state the Hermes 900 allows flight altitude of more than 30,000 ft, large payload capacity and flight capabilities in adverse weather conditions. The Hermes 900 is based on the highly reliable and combat proven Hermes 450 UAS, which has accumulated over 170,000 flight hours.
The company says the new Hermes 900 allows seamless integration with the IDF’s existing Hermes 450 UAS thanks to its universal command & control ground station (UGCS), which enables advanced mission management, automatic taxiing, autonomous flight and automatic takeoff and landing systems common to all the UAS in the Hermes family. These advantages allow all Hermes 450 operators to immediately integrate the Hermes 900 into the existing UAS fleet, using the current infrastructure.