Swiss armed forces select Hermes 900 HFE UAV
Elbit Systems will supply its Hermes 900 HFE unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) under the Swiss armed forces’ 2015 arms procurement programme. The selection of the Hermes 900 HFE as the preferred solution was announced on 5 June.
The Hermes 900 HFE all-weather unarmed reconnaissance UAV will replace the Swiss military’s ADS 95 Ranger reconnaissance drone system, which has been in use since 2001. The new system will be in operation by 2020.
According to the Swiss DDPS, the Hermes 900 HFE was selected over the other shortlisted contender for the programme - the Israel Aerospace Industries Super Heron UAV - as it ‘delivered the better overall result in all assessed criteria’.
The Swiss DDPS expects the use of the UAV to be explained extensively in the context of the dispatch on procurement, the Armed Forces Development Programme and the Security Policy Report. It said that the decision to procure the new reconnaissance drone system (ADS 15), which will cost around 250 million francs, will most probably be submitted for approval to Parliament with the 2015 armaments programme.
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