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Background – Canadian Forces  JUSTAS  MALE UAV –  Hermes 900

As a UAV producer,  Elbit Systems  is best known for its Hermes 450, a tactical system leased to the British Army as Watchkeeper WK450 for use in Iraq. Previously, the only Elbit-produced  MALE UAV  was the twin- engined  Hermes 1500.  But, in June 2007, a full-scale model was unveiled (right) at  the Paris Air Show of  Elbit’s new Hermes 900. This single-engined MALE UAV shares its layout with  the US  Predator  with which Elbit obviously intends to compete.

With their Hermes 900, Elbit is also going after their Israeli competition  – IAI Malat’s Heron / Eagle series.  Like the original  Predator A and early Herons, the Hermes 900 is piston-engined. That engine –  the same Rotax 914 that powers the Hermes 1500 –  is less fuel-thirsty than the turboprop engines of  Predator Bs or Heron TP / Eagle-1.  But this also makes Hermes 900 is much less powerful as well.  If endurance is emphasized over transit speed, the Hermes 900  may have the advantage.  However, less powerful also translates into being able to carry less and,  since weapons-carrying was added to JUSTAS requirements,  payload capacities matters much more. [1]

Hermes 900 has obviously been designed with tight  budgets in mind. While that applies to DND, it is unlikely that bottom-end models sans satellite uplink would be of interest. A better- equipped Hermes 900 was offered [2] to DND to fill its interim Joint Airborne ISR Capability requirement. But JAIC never made it past the Harper Cabinet. Elbit [3] submitted its smaller Hermes 450  for  Project Noctua  ( DND’s attempt  to lease owner- operated UAVs) but  Elbit Systems’ Hermes 900  might well re-emerge as a MALE UAV candidate for JUSTAS.

[1] The Hermes 900 has a 300 kg internal payload with no mention of external loads. That payload compares well with comparable, piston- engined MALE UAVs in Hermes 900’s class. The IAI Malat Heron has an internal payload of only 250 kg (although EADS was studying wing pylons for its Eagle version).  At 204 kg, Predator A’s internal payload is even less but  it can carry an additional  136 kg externally [2] The configuration was not revealed but satellite uplink antenna can be assumed. Normal payload for the Hermes 900 would be a belly- mounted SAR/GMTI (Synthetic Aperture Radar/Ground Moving Target Indicator) and a nose-mounted electro-optical turret (as might be expected, the prototype mounts a DCompass turret from Elbit Systems’ Elop Division, but actual E/O fitting would be customer specified). [3] Elbit was partnered with L-3 Communications MAS Canada and  Thales UK for Noctua.  Thales UK has now pulled out of that project. [4] A feature of  Elbit Systems’ UAV family is a common Ground Control Station (the same GCS being to handle Hermes 450, 900, or 1500).