Hermes 900 for Switzerland

摘要

Switzerland has chosen the Elbit Hermes 900 to fulfil its requirements for a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned air vehicle, becoming the first European nation to select the type. The Hermes 900 and Israel Aerospace Industries Super Heron were shortlisted by Switzerland for evaluation nearly two years ago (see Heron 1 and Hermes 900 Evaluated by Switzerland, November 2012, p23). Swiss defence procurement agency Armasuisse said the Hermes 900 was chosen "because it delivered the better overall result in all assessed criteria". Armasuisse said it would submit a proposal to acquire the Hermes 900 in Switzerland's 2015 armaments programme, but a purchase is subject to parliamentary approval. Should the buy go ahead, the aircraft will not be armed in service and will replace the RUAG ADS 95 Ranger (operated since 2001) by 2020.