Elbit Systems has won a new contract worth tens of millions of US$ to supply a new Latin American customer with a mixed fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles including the Hermes 900 and Hermes 450 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). The company is expected to deliver the systems by 2014. Since
launching the Hermes 900 the company has won five orders for this large drone – three in Latin America, one in Asia. Sofar Chile and Mexico have both opted to buy Hermes 900, with Brazil focusing on the Hermes 450.
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[ismember]In April 2012, during a visit of Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak in Colombia, Israel’s Defense Minister met his Colombian counterpart Juan Carlos Pinzon, discussing the sale of Israeli drones to Bogota, local media reported.
The contract reported today by Elbit Systems includes Universal Ground Control Stations (UGCS), Electro-Optical and electronic sensors built by its Elop and Elisra Divisions, as well as Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Maritime Surveillance Radar (MPR) and additional sensors.
The combination of Hermes 450 with the larger Hermes 900 provide users with unique operational flexibility, due to the use of common infrastructure in mission control, payloads and ground support. Forming the back bone of the IDF’s operational UAS activity, Hermes 450 has been used extensively in defense forces worldwide, including in active war zones, accumulating over 300,000 operational flight hours. The new Hermes 900 UAS that builds on the vast operational experience accumulated by its smaller sibling is designed to operate at higher altitude (up to 30,000 ft) and offer longer mission endurance and carriage of heavier payloads. The system’s unique structure enables it to carry multiple payloads in a variety of shapes and sizes and quickly convert between payload configurations.
The company’s demonstrated success in marketing the hermes 900 is based on this unique integrated approach – most users that have selected Hermes 900 are either already operating the Hermes 450, or ordered a mix of the two, to benefit from the flexibility and high availability of drones, at lower cost. Moreover, the characteristics of Hermes 900 position the drone just below the limits set by the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), enabling the company to offer its larger drone unrestricted by international treaties limiting larget drones such as the American Reaper or Israeli Heron TP.[/ismember]
“The unique capability of joint operation with the Hermes 450 offers seamless integration for existing users, further enhancing operational flexibility and cost effectiveness and eliminating the need for additional infrastructure or special training programs”. Elad Aharonson, Elbit Systems UAS Division General Manager commented, adding: “Hermes 900 is well positioned as a world-leading UAS, suitable for a wide variety of missions, from intelligence gathering, to perimeter and security missions.”
