Israeli UAV Shipped to Switzerland

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Switzerland has recently announced that the country has received the first of six Hermes 900 UAVs. Built by Elbit Systems, the Israeli made UAV will be used by Swiss forces to perform border surveillance and for disaster relief.

Although the UAV is currently under Swiss control, Uasvision.com reports that helicopters will perform the Hermes 900 intended role for the time being, due to a six month delay in certifying the UAV’s heavy fuel engine.

Elbit Systems was awarded about 200 million U.S. dollars for selling the unmanned aerial system, back in November 2015. The contract covered the UAVs as well as a ground control station.

The Hermes 900 is a medium-altitude long endurance (MALE) drone. Its multi-payload capabilities make the UAV ideal for area dominance and continuous ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance) missions. Elbit Systems mentions that the UAV has a maximum payload carrying capacity of 350 kilograms. This makes it possible for the Hermes 900 to carry multiple payloads such as laser acquisition systems, communication blocking systems, large area scanners, wide area surveillance systems, and more.

Based on the experience gained from the 300,000+ flight hours of the systems predecessor, the Hermes 450, Elbit Systems has managed to develop its next generation, multi-purpose, MALE UAV.

The Hermes 900 has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,180 kilograms. Its heavy fuel engine makes it possible for the UAV to stay in the air for up to 36 hours at a time and reach altitudes up to 30,000 feet. The UAV has a maximum top speed of 220 kilometers an hour. It is 8.3 meters long and has a wingspan of 15 meters.  It takes a ground crew of two people to operate the UAV.

The UAV’s main operator is the Israeli Defense Force, although the Hermes 900 has been shipped to several different countries, including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, the Philippines, and more.