Elbit Systems Ltd has delivered a Hermes 900 unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to a customer in the Americas. The programme includes delivery of ESL’s Hermes 900 unmanned air vehicles, Universal Ground Control Stations (UGCS) including installation in a mission control centre, advanced electro-optic systems and additional unique systems.

Due to high demand, ESL has increased its UAS production activities and will soon be delivering additional Hermes 900 systems to other international customers.

ESL announced on December 31, 2012, that it was awarded a second contract to supply a wide range of Hermes 900 UAS to the Israel defence forces (IDF). The contract, a follow-on to the initial IDF order for Hermes 900 in 2010, calls for development of additional advanced UAS capabilities as well as UAS maintenance services. On January 27, 2013, ESL announced that it received an approximately $35 million contract from the Israel Ministry of Defense for the development of advanced features for UAS. One of the mission requirements is the quick reconfiguration of the UAS’ payloads.