The Star in the Sky: Elbit Systems’ Hermes 900 Starliner

Elbit Systems is a leading global supplier of unmanned aerial systems, and the Hermes 900 Starliner has become the gem in the Hermes family of UAS.

Since the first order of the UAS in 2011, the Hermes 900 has been selected by some 20 customers around the world, and the NATO class III MALE is operational on four continents.  Operating across a range of domains, the Starliner is already a reliable asset both within the NATO and EU environment.

With a wingspan of 17 meters and weighing over a 1.5 ton, the Starliner is capable of up to 36 hours of continuous flight at an altitude of up to 30,000 ft. and can carry 450 kg of payloads.

This modern system consists of varied and up-to-date safety features as lightning and icing condition withstanding, detect and avoid, terrain detection and many more, which are the base for its civil flight certification.

Ahead of Airpower 24 and to hear more about this groundbreaking UAS, we sat down with Amir, VP Marketing and Business Development in Elbit System’s UAS business unit and Ran, Director of Business Development and Marketing in the Aerospace Division at Elbit Systems.

Why is a civilian license so important? What makes it so revolutionary?

Ran: The Hermes 900 Starliner is the first Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV to get a civilian type certificate by CAAI (Civil Aviation Authority of Israel). We worked together with CAAI and it was a pioneering and mutual learning process as it was the first time, to the best of our knowledge, that an organization had to adapt the regulations of civilian aircraft from manned aircraft to unmanned aircraft.

The process took around eight years and included development and testing as well as many audits, laboratory tests, ground tests, intensive flight tests and more.

What are the implications of this unique capability?

Ran: The revolution of this aircraft allows the UAV to fly above heavily populated areas, in any civilian airspace, allowing it to perform a wide range of missions. We can use the platform and the variety of payloads on it not just for military missions, but para-military and civilian missions as well. For example, it can be used for Homeland Security (HLS) or border protection on land or at sea. It can be used for environmental surveys and deforestation purposes or to support rescue services when a natural disaster hits-like a wildfire, avalanche or flood. Recently Hermes 900s played an important role in the search and rescue efforts in both Chile and Brazil, helping to save dozens of lives.

What are the capabilities that allow it to fly civilian missions?

Amir: By achieving the civilian type certificate to fly in civilian airspace, we utilize the vast number of payloads that the Hermes 900 has including Elbit’s Spectro multi-spectral electro-optical payload that provides continuous target scanning capabilities and SkEye Wide Area Persistent Surveillance System that has the capability to continuously monitor vast areas, intercept events and maintain multiple regions of interest (ROI) under constant surveillance with high spatial resolution.

The payloads are fitted based on a highly modular concept, with minimum down-time and a wide variety of readily available payload systems like Signal Intelligence (SIGINT), Electronic Intelligence (ELINT), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), a maximum of four life rafts that can hold eight people for Search and Rescue (SAR), Communications Intelligence (COMINT) to detect cellphones and more.

To achieve the certification standards, Elbit Systems also integrated advanced civil aviation technological capabilities onboard and the Starliner was pushed through a gamut of tests in harsh environmental conditions such as direct lightning strike sustainment, known icing conditions, adverse weather and more. The technologies integrated on the UAS include a terrain avoidance warning system; automatic take-off and landing in harsh visibility; redundant avionics, sensors and satellite data links; flight in denied / Jammed GPS environment, automatic air traffic sensing and avoiding systems and avoiding auto-maneuvers and last resort parachute to avoid injuries or harm to human lives.

How long does it take a pilot to learn how to fly the Starliner?

Ran: You don’t need to be a pilot. We will train you and it’s quite a short training process. Once you complete the prerequisite courses required by each country, it takes about 17 weeks to become a Starliner operator. You can do the training in your home-country-which is what we prefer because you train as you operate. In addition, we are always looking for the best and brightest in the courses for them to become instructors so that Elbit is less involved in the training process.

UAVs aren’t only for the military anymore.

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