Hermes UAS
Elbit Systems has been awarded a $50m contract by an unidentified country in the Americas to supply Hermes 900 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).

The next-generation Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV system will be deployed in multiple-perimeter security missions.

The order also includes the Universal Ground Control Stations (UGCS), Elbit Systems Electro-Optics Elop’s advanced DCoMPASS payload systems, as well as satellite communication systems.

Elbit Systems UAS Division general manager Elad Aharonson said: "We are very proud that yet another customer has selected the Hermes 900, following orders by the Israeli Defense Forces and Chile.

"An added value is the unique advantage of the common ground control station for both the Hermes 900 and the Hermes 450 array, allowing enhanced operational flexibility and cost effectiveness."

The Hermes 900 is a long-endurance aircraft with a maximum altitude of 30,000ft. It weighs more than 2,000lb and has a maximum speed of 140mph.

The Israeli company said that the Hermes 900 Unmanned Aircraft Systems will be delivered within roughly one year.

The UAS replicates the operational experience of the Hermes 450, which functions as the backbone of the Israel Defense Forces’ UAS operations.

Hermes 900 offers various improved capabilities that include a higher flight altitude of up to 30,000ft, longer endurance and larger payload capacity.

The UAS’s unique structure allows it to carry a different shaped range of payloads and sizes for quick conversion between payload configurations.

The UAS also features high mobility, quick turnaround, inbuilt growth potential, line-of-sight data-links and beyond line-of-sight (BLOS) Communication SATCOM.

Hermes 900 is capable of taxiing and internal automatic take-off and landing (IATOL) and can perform in all weather conditions.

The system is also capable of carrying out missions such as long-range, wide-area real-time intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR), fire adjustment and support missions, target designation and communication relay with multi-band tactical radios.

The unmanned system can also be deployed for border and coastal patrols, law enforcement and disaster control management missions.

Image: The Hermes 900 UAS has a flight altitude of up to 30,000ft, longer endurance and larger payload capacity. Photo: Elbit Systems