The Royal Thai Navy has awarded Israeli aerospace firm Elbit Systems a 4.5-billion baht ($120 million) contract to supply an undisclosed number of Hermes 900 drones.
Under the three-year contract, Elbit is required to deliver maritime unmanned aircraft equipped with maritime radar, an electro-optical payload, satellite communication, droppable inflated life rafts, and other training capabilities.
“The Hermes 900 Maritime [unmanned aircraft systems] is intended to enable the Royal Thai Navy to perform both blue water and littoral missions, dominate vast swathes of sea and long coastlines, communicate with operational vessels and carry out civilian missions,” the company said in a statement.
Hermes 900 UAS
Elbit’s next-generation, multi-role Hermes 900 features a variety of high-performance sensors that enable precise detection of both ground and maritime targets over a wide spectral range.
The highly autonomous aircraft has persistent multi-payload capabilities of up to 350 kilograms (771.6 pounds). It can also sustain flight missions for up to 36 hours.
“We are experiencing a growing demand around the globe for our unmanned solutions that are capable of effective integration with operational activities of manned forces across domains of operation, addressing a wide range of evolving threats,” General Manager Yoram Shmuely said.