Hermes 900, Heron 1 to contest Swiss UAS deal

June 22, 2012 by Arie Egozi – FG

Tel Aviv - The Swiss defence ministry is expected to select a medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned air system before the end of this year, with the final two contenders being the Elbit Systems Hermes 900 and the Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1.

Both systems have already been demonstrated to Swiss officials in Israel, and more flights are planned to take place in different regions of Switzerland.

Detailed proposals for the requirement are expected to be submitted by August, with this to lead to at least six more months of evaluation.

Both of the Israeli-made UAS are capable of carrying multi-purpose payloads.