Switzerland has decided to purchase Elbit Hermes 900 medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), it was announced on 5 June.
The Hermes 900 beat out competition from the Israel Aerospace Industries Super Heron for the programme, both of which were shortlisted by Switzerland and conducted flight trials in 2012.
Swiss defence procurement agency Armasuisse stated: “The Hermes 900 HFE has been favoured because it delivered the better overall result in all assessed criteria.” The procurement is valued at CHF250 million (USD280 million), Armasuisse added.
The Hermes 900 will eventually replace the RUAG Ranger, in Swiss service since 1998 as the ADS 95, which is nearing the end of its service life. The Hermes 900 is “more flexible, has longer endurance in the air, and a wider operational range than the system currently in use”, Armasuisse stated.
Switzerland currently operates 24 Rangers, in service with the UAV Wing 7, Squadron 7, based at Emmen. With an endurance of around 36 hours, the Hermes 900 will certainly provide a big increase in capability over the Ranger’s 4-hour endurance, but being a much bigger aircraft also comes with a larger operational footprint.
Armasuisse and the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection, and Sports (VBS) will now seek parliamentary approval for the procurement. According to the VBS, the purchase of the Hermes 900 “will most probably be submitted for approval to Parliament with the 2015 armaments programme”.
The VBS noted that the Hermes 900 UAVs will be unarmed, and that “currently, combat drones are not an option” for Switzerland. Switzerland will become the first European customer for the Hermes 900, which is already in service with Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Israel, and the Mexican Federal Police.
Source: JANES