by Lilach Shoval and Israel Hayom Staff
Hermes 900 "Star" unmanned aerial vehicle becomes fully operational, joins existing air force lineup • New UAV designed for long-endurance tactical missions, can remain airborne for 30 hours • It will "revolutionize the drone world," senior officer says.
The Hermes 900 drone
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Photo credit: Elbit Systems  |
The Israeli Air Force introduced a new
unmanned aerial vehicle into its operational lineup Tuesday, in a move a
senior officer said would "revolutionize the drone world."
The Hermes 900 Kochav ("Star"), which became
operational this week, is a medium-size multi-payload unmanned aerial
vehicle, designed for long-endurance tactical reconnaissance,
surveillance, and communications missions.
Manufactured by Elbit Systems, the Hermes 900 can remain airborne for over 30 hours, and can fly at an altitude of 30,000 feet.
The innovative drone is equipped, among other
things, with state of the art electro-optical and infrared sensors,
synthetic aperture radar capabilities, and advanced communications and
electronic intelligence systems.
The Hermes 900 is the first drone included in
the IAF's UAV lineup in 16 years, and it means to improve on its
predecessor, the Hermes 450, an advanced drone that can remain airborne
for 20 hours.
A military source told Israel Hayom that the Hermes 900
was first used during 2014's Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza
Strip, when the IAF decided to put the then still-under-development UAV
to the test, which it passed with flying colors.
Lilach Shoval and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=29599
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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