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UAV / drone

Israel

Elbit Systems

Hermes 900

A medium-altitude long-endurance ISR drone built by Elbit Systems, deployed extensively by the Israeli Air Force (as Kochav) and exported to Switzerland, Colombia and other operators for surveillance and target-acquisition missions.

In service since 2014 · 8 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

220

km/h

1,000

km range

9,144

m ceiling

300

kg payload

Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

Israeli export-licensed

Israeli MoD (DECA/SIBAT) licensing; active export programme.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Fielded & proven

Established · 8 operators

In service since 2014. Status: active.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Compatible munitions & weapons

Publicly reported weapons the Hermes 900 can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.

Precision-guided munitions (armed variant)

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.: 220 km/h

Stronger than 50% of UAVs
Cruise speed Sustained economical speed. Determines transit time to station.: 130 km/h

Stronger than 39% of UAVs
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.: 1,000 km

Stronger than 60% of UAVs
Service ceiling Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.: 9,144 m

Stronger than 73% of UAVs
Endurance Time on station. Critical for UAVs and patrol platforms, higher means longer persistent coverage.: 36 h

Stronger than 89% of UAVs

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Hardpoints External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.: 4

Stronger than 46% of UAVs
Weapons payload Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.: 300 kg

Stronger than 50% of UAVs

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 8.3 m
Wingspan Wingtip-to-wingtip span.: 15 m
Empty weight Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.: 970 kg
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.: 1,180 kg
Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.: 0

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Engine Powerplant model and type.: Rotax 914 piston engine
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…: Piston, pusher propeller

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.: Electro-optical/infrared payload, Synthetic aperture radar/GMTI, SIGINT payload (variants)
Datalink Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement.: LOS datalink, SATCOM

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 8

Stronger than 76% of UAVs

Specifications compiled from public Elbit Systems and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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