Israel says new drone drone operational

Israel has declared the full operational capability of its upgraded Elbit Systems Hermes-900 “Kochav” unmanned aerial vehicle on Wednesday after a series of tests, according to 'Jerusalem' Post.

The daily says the main objective of the upgrade was to double the power and capabilities of the UAV in as many aspects as possible, including its size, carrying capacity, flight time and flight range.

Other upgrades to the UAV included its communication systems, modes of operation and maintenance methods.

The Hermes-900 has a wingspan of 15 m., is 8.3-m. long, has a max takeoff weight of 1,100 kg. and has a maximum payload weight of 300 kg.

Based on Elbit’s Hermes-450 UAS with over 300,000 operational flight hours, the Hermes- 900 is used for both ground support and maritime patrol missions, as well as for integrated multi-platform, multi-sensor operations.

It has double the power and capabilities of the Hermes-450 and is able to carry a wide range of intelligence-gathering payloads and capable of performing missions for area dominance and persistent surveillance, target acquisition and intelligence gathering.