Elbit Systems secures $120m contract for Hermes 900

An undisclosed international customer has signed a contract with Elbit Systems for a new fleet of Hermes 900 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The deal, worth $120 million, will provide an unknown quantity of the Hermes 900 configured for maritime patrol and reconnaissance, highlighting the growing demand for UAVs in securing sea lanes and coastlines.

Yoram Shmuely, the General Manager of Elbit Systems Aerospace, spoke about the new contract. “We are proud to be selected once again to provide our Hermes 900 system to a valued international customer,” he said. “This contract reflects the trust our customers place in our solutions and our commitment to delivering operational superiority.”

Other countries have recently selected similar platforms for long-range and endurance maritime surveillance. Denmark ordered the MQ-9B from GA-ASI, for instance. “The Kingdom of Denmark must strengthen signal acquisition and surveillance in the Arctic and the North Atlantic as soon as possible,” the Danish Ministry of Defence (MoD) states on its website, indicating that the MQ-9B will be used to provide signals intelligence, as well as other forms of reconnaissance. It also has the ability to search the ocean surface “and its depths” using internally carried payloads, according to GA-ASI.

The Royal Netherlands Navy has also selected the V-Bat from Shield AI to provide its marines and navy with a maritime surveillance capability, and the Royal Navy is working with the Peregrine, which can be deck-launched from a frigate. Not all of these capabilities fit within the same bucket, but they reflect a general move towards the greater use of autonomous and uncrewed capabilities at sea. 

Tech profile: Hermes 900

The Hermes 900 is a multi-role Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drone, designed to perform a wide range of missions, including area dominance and persistent intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) over both land and sea. Since its first order in 2011, the Hermes 900 has been selected by more than 20 customers worldwide, the press release states. 

With a wingspan of approximately 15 metres (49 feet), the Hermes 900 can reach a maximum altitude of 9,144 metres (30,000 feet) and a top speed of 220 km per hour (120 knots). Its endurance allows for continuous flight of up to 36 hours, making it suitable for persistent, long-range missions. The drone has a significant payload capacity of up to 350 kg (770 lbs), with a large internal payload bay of up to 250 kg. This allows it to carry a wide variety of advanced sensors and equipment.

It is equipped with a tri-sensor suite for comprehensive surveillance. This includes an Electro-Optical/Infra-Red (EO/IR) system, a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) with Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI) for all-weather surveillance, and an Automatic Identification System (AIS) for tracking maritime vessels. It can also carry signals intelligence (SIGINT) systems for electronic and communications intelligence.

Calibre comment

Manned-unmanned teaming for maritime surveillance is a generally sound approach. The areas involved are vast and the constant presence of crewed assets like helicopters and P-8 Poseidons can reduce fleet availability and increase maintenance demands. Uncrewed platforms, however, can provide persistence for a much lower cost than crewed assets, and also will tend to have a longer endurance. This makes them well-suited to anti-submarine warfare and other operations in the maritime domain. However, the key will be integrating the feeds from these uncrewed platforms into a central command and control system as well as sharing it with key allies if necessary. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on September 29, 2025. Credit for the lead image is Elbit Systems and it shows a Hermes 900 flying over a beach.