Elbit Systems has announced that it was awarded an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) contract from the Israeli Ministry of Defense, valued at approximately $50 million. Under the contract, Elbit Systems will supply the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) with its brand new Hermes 900 unmanned systems along with additional Hermes 450 unmanned systems to expand the IDF's current Hermes 450 fleet.

In addition, the Company will supply the IDF with an enhancement of its existing UAS intelligence capabilities. The contract will be carried out over a three-year period.

With enhanced endurance, the Hermes 900 allows flight altitude of more than 30,000 ft, large payload capacity and flight capabilities in adverse weather conditions. The Hermes 900 is based on the highly reliable and combat proven Hermes 450 UAS, which has accumulated over 170,000 flight hours.

The new Hermes 900 allows seamless integration with the IDF's existing Hermes 450 UAS thanks to its universal command and control ground station (UGCS), which enables advanced mission management, automatic taxiing, autonomous flight and automatic takeoff and landing systems common to all the UAS in the Hermes family. These advantages allow all Hermes 450 operators to immediately integrate the Hermes 900 into the existing UAS fleet, using the current infrastructure.

Joseph Ackerman, President and CEO of Elbit Systems, commented: "We are proud to have been selected by the Israeli Ministry of Defense in this UAS project, attesting to the IDF's high level of satisfaction with the performance of our UAS. By introducing the Hermes 900 into our growing UAS portfolio, we continue to provide the IDF with effective solutions for its varying operational needs, ranging from the mini-UAS Skylark I-LE operated by the Israeli Ground Forces, through the Hermes 450 which plays a central role in the IDF's anti- terror efforts, to our brand new Hermes 900."

Ackerman added, "The IMOD's recent order furthers our position as a world leader in the UAS field, and we trust that many customers will follow the IDF's selection of the Hermes 900, the newest addition to the Elbit Systems UAS portfolio."