Elbit’s drones are on their way to the Arctic region

The Hermes 900 is a UAV designed for medium altitude and long duration of activity (MALE), with a range of about 1,000 km or more. It was designed to perform a wide variety of missions, including regional control and intelligence gathering, reconnaissance, target acquisition and observation – both at sea and on land. Since it was first ordered in 2011, the model has been purchased by more than 20 customers worldwide.

Elbit is considered one of the leading companies in the world in the field of drones. According to the ranking of the “Defense Post” website, it is ranked fifth in the world, Before giant companies such as the Italian Leonardo, the British BAE, the American Lockheed Martin and the German Rheinmetall. The committee that examined the companies examined, among other things, the scope of the revenues, the technological contribution, the investments in research and development and the level of innovation. As part of the methodology, government-owned companies such as IAI and Rafale were not included, but a number of Israeli companies still stood out.

The main products that led Elbit to its position are the Hermes 450 and Hermes 900 UAVs, along with the Starliner version. These models took over the skies of Iran in Operation “With a Dog” and Operation “Harry’s Roar”.

However, other considerations underlie the Canadian decision. At the air force headquarters in Ottawa, they were looking for available solutions, against the background of delays in the delivery of 11 MQ-9B model drones ordered from the American company General Atomics.

The drones were purchased in 2020

Originally, the drones produced by Elbit were already purchased in 2020 by the Canadian Ministry of Transportation, as part of a civilian program. Since then, the powers and means have been transferred to the Coast Guard, which is supposed to replace the Ministry of Transportation in certain tasks in the Arctic region. Alongside this, the Canadian Ministry of Defense plans to significantly improve communication capabilities in the region, both for maritime and aerial needs, when one of the main concerns concerns the increase of Russian activity in the region.

In conclusion, the Israeli drone and drone market is much broader than Elbit alone. According to the same ranking by “Defense Post”, the second Israeli company is Aeronautics, ranked 26th. The company operates a variety of platforms, including the “Dominator” MALE drone, which has an operational duration of up to 20 hours and a maximum take-off weight of 1,900 kg, as well as the heavy drone “Oktopher”, which is designed for missions of up to four hours of flight time.

Percepto, which specializes in autonomous drones, is ranked three places later. The company’s products operate from closed cases, from which they come out independently to perform patrol and collection tasks without the need for direct operation.