Elbit To Supply Hermes 900 UAS To Switzerland

ElbitSystems has won $200 million contract from the Swiss Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) to supply Hermes 900 HFE (Heavy Fuel Engine) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).

The contract also includes supply of an advanced ground segment for command, control and communications, the company announced today.

The contract, to be performed over a four-year period, follows the DDPS June 2014 announcement about Elbit Systems selection as the preferred supplier for the UAS 15 new reconnaissance drone program.

The Hermes 900 HFE system is an advanced adverse-weather unarmed reconnaissance UAS, It offers improved operational capabilities to Swiss Air Force.

The Elbit Systems Hermes 900 Kochav (Star) is an Israeli medium size multi-payload unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed for medium altitude long endurance (MALE) tactical missions. It has an endurance of over 30 hours and can fly at a maximum altitude of 30,000 feet (9,100 m), with a primary mission of reconnaissance, surveillance and communications relay.