Elbit Systems has announced that it completed a series of successful flights of its enhanced Micro CoMPASS electro-optic payload with advanced capabilities as part of Elbit Systems' Hermes 90 unmanned aircraft system (UAS).

The Hermes 90 UAS flight series demonstrated day and night enhanced capabilities such as excellent target recognition capabilities, both day (CCD) and night (FLIR), tracking of both mobile and stationary targets and an accurate Laser Range-Finder.

The enhanced Micro CoMPASS also offers a new innovative 3-axis configuration allowing an impressive level of stabilization and high-quality high-resolution imagery for a payload of its compact size.

The payload's thermal night camera features continuous zoom, allowing a wide observation field, thus providing immediate mission intelligence and fast detection/recognition ratio to maximize overall system agile response and sensor to shooter loop capability.

This flight series underscores the maturing and addition of advanced mission capabilities to the Hermes 90 UAS. Hermes 90 draws on the rich experience and performance proven capabilities of Elbit Systems' Skylark and Hermes UAS families, operational in the Israel Defense Forces and other modern armies worldwide.

Among the main features of the Hermes 90: "fly by camera" flight mode , easy, user-friendly operation, over 15 hours endurance, mission range of more than 100 kilometers, and the highest payload weight capacity in this class of UAS.

The Hermes 90 has automatic dual launch and recovery methods, including integral launcher for point launch and recovery on non-prepared surfaces without using any dedicated ground equipment, as well as strip take off and landing.

The system enables full integration with any C4I system, for fast imagery dissemination as well as easy coordination among the operational forces in the field. Thanks to these capabilities, the Hermes 90 is highly suited for various missions and particularly maneuvering forces, as well as homeland defense and other non-military missions.

The Hermes 90 UAS has already performed successful flight tests with a heavy fuel engine (HFE), a basic requirement and an important capability for maritime UAS operations when operating from ships.

Elbit Systems continues to add mission capabilities to the Hermes 90 such as the enhanced Micro CoMPASS payload and will integrate and test in the near future a laser designator to compliment the present capabilities

The U.S. configuration of the Hermes 90 system, named STORM, is being offered for the joint USN/USMC Small Tactical UAS (STUAS) program by UAS Dynamics, LLC, a Charlotte, SC based company, jointly owned by Elbit Systems of America, LLC and General Dynamics Armaments and Technology Products, Inc..

STORM offers a solution based on advanced, mature UAS designs adapted by UAS Dynamics to meet U.S. requirements.