Swiss parliament approves Hermes 900 deal

08 September, 2015 BY: Arie Egozi - FG

The Swiss parliament on 7 September voted in favour of an armed forces plan to buy six Elbit Systems Hermes 900 unmanned air vehicles, in a deal valued at $256 million.

Last year, the Hermes 900 was selected by the Swiss armed forces, but the signing of a contract was delayed until the receipt of political approval. A deal should now be signed within the next few weeks. The Hermes 900 UAVs to be supplied to Switzerland will be in an upgraded version that will improve performance in some parameters. One of the enhancements is the provision of a heavy fuel engine, which will enable the aircraft to achieve a higher rate of climb after take-off – a key requirement because of the country's mountainous terrain.

Read more