Satnews Daily
September 3rd, 2008

Elbit's Hermes UAV Gains More Ground


Elbit Systems' Hermes 450 UAV Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: ESLT) has been awarded a contract to supply Hermes® 450 UAV systems to a country in the Americas, for the total of approximately $25 million. The contract also includes Skylark® I systems, all to be delivered within a year. Hermes 450 is a unique Elbit Systems development and has been the base platform of the IDF's operational UAV fleet, as well as the basis for the U.K.'s armed forces' UAV program Watchkeeper, the largest such program in Europe. The Hermes 450 UAVs are used extensively in armies worldwide, including active war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan. So far, the Hermes 450® has accumulated over 100,000 operational flight hours. Skylark is a mini/man-pack UAV system, equipped with features derived from Elbit Systems' Hermes® family of larger UAVs. The system is operational with the IDF's Ground Force's Command and in several other armed forces. Skylark is currently operationally active in several theatres of the global war on terror, with more than 10,000 successful operational sorties and a world record in high altitude flights, exceeding 15,000 feet. The Skylark systems have already been purchased by numerous customers worldwide.