Elbit Systems is using Le Bourget for the first showing of the new maritime patrol (MP) variant of its Hermes 1500 unmanned air vehicle(UAV).
The most obvious difference to the outline of the twin-engined, long-endurance UAV is the addition of underwing fuel tanks, each carrying around 150 litres, but changes have also taken place under the skin.
The most significant addition is the installation of a Ku-band commercial satellite communications link, so the vehicle can operate without any direct line of sight to its controllers.
Other onboard equipment includes a synthetic aperture radar, plus ELINT, SIGINT and ESM sensors. The new variant has been developed in response to a request by an unnamed customer, says Eli Yitzhaki, Elbit's vice-president, business development and marketing.
The Hermes 1500 can fly at up to 9,100m (30,000ft), says Yitzhaki, but best results are attained at lower heights. "I'm a strong believer in flying at altitudes from which you can get results, not at altitudes that you think it will be easier to convince the FAA or other aviation regulatory authorities to fly at. This can fly at up to 30,000ft, but we're focused on those altitudes that will bring results. In a maritime patrol aircraft that's normally in the 3-5,000ft range."
Surfaces
The Hermes 1500 has "lots of surfaces and lots of volume" to cope with substantial payloads with something to spare: "If somebody asks us to add a few boxes and 1-200kg, we could do it." The underwing fuel tanks were added to liberate more volume in the fuselage for payload, he adds.
The MP version has accumulated "quite a few tens of hours" of testing, but the process will continue for some months. If a customer signed up for the vehicle tomorrow, he could have a full operational system in about 12 months, says Yitzhaki.
Source: Flight Daily News
