Swiss Air Force Receives The First Two Hermes 900 UAVs
The Swiss Air Force officially received the first two Hermes 900 (also known as ADS 15) medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAVs, registered D-11 and D-14, manufactured by Israel-based Elbit Systems. This means that the Air Force can now begin developing operational capabilities for the ADS 15 reconnaissance aircraft system. According to the Federal Office for Defense Procurement (Armasuisse), the Swiss Air Force has also received ground control stations, sensors, logistics, and training materials, and the remaining four vehicles will be delivered by the end of 2023.
In 2015, Elbit Systems was awarded a contract by the Swiss government for the supply of six Hermes 900 UAVs worth 250 million Swiss Francs ($270 million). ADS 15s were expected to arrive in Switzerland in 2019, according to the original schedule. However, due to strong winds, one of the Hermes 900 UAVs set to be delivered to Switzerland crashed during a test flight. The company stated at the time that the delivery of the UAVs, which were scheduled to be delivered in 2019, had been postponed to 2022-2023 due to the accident. Since then, the company has reportedly solved the technical issue without changing the design of the drones. Last year, Israel delivered the first two of these vehicles to the Swiss Federal Office for Defense Procurement (Armasuisse) for domestic flight trials.
In June, the Swiss military conducted the first successful flight test of the drone. The drone safely returned to Emmen airbase after a 70-minute flight. The drone reached a top speed of 180 kilometers per hour and an altitude of 2,000 meters above sea level during its flight. Switzerland conducted additional flight tests with the two drones at military airbases following the first flight test (registered D-11 and D-14). Sensors were tested, the technical functionality of the drones was checked, and missions of varying duration were carried out during the tests, among other factors. Following the completion of flight tests, the first two drones were certified by the Swiss Military Aviation Authority (MAA) on December 21, 2022.
The Swiss Air Force will use Hermes 900 UAVs, which will be referred to as ADS 15 in Swiss service, to replace the Ranger ADS 95s, which were decommissioned in November 2019 after 20 years of service. The Swiss Air Force intends to utilize the Hermes 900, which has a 20-year lifespan, only for surveillance and reconnaissance.
Elbit Systems developed the Hermes 900, a tactical medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to allow the Israel Defense Forces to conduct intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) operations. With the improvement of the Hermes 450 model, it entered service in 2012. The Hermes 900 is 8.3 meters long and 15 meters wide, and it can stay in the air for up to 36 hours for reconnaissance and surveillance operations. The Hermes 900 has a top speed of 140 mph, a cruising speed of about 70 mph, and can fly at altitudes of up to 30,000 feet thanks to a 115 hp Rotax 914 turbocharged engine. Because of its 350 kg payload capacity, the drone can be outfitted with standard and long range EO/IR/laser, SAR/GMTI & MPR, COMINT/DF, COMINT GSM, COMMJAM, ELINT, EW, hyperspectral systems, large area scanning systems, and other utility systems.