Photo: Elbit Systems/YouTube
Aerospace company Elbit Systems received certification for its Hermes StarLiner UAS (unmanned aerial system) to fly in civilian airspace just like any other civil aircraft. This is the first time Israel allows a drone to do so, without restricting its flight to unsegregated space.
As specified by the Civil Aviation Authority of the State of Israel (CAAI), this is the first time ever that a UAS has received a Type Certificate. The flight approval is part of the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety’s policy to adapt both land and aerial regulations to the technological developments.
While it is an unprecedented achievement for Elbit Systems, the certification process was a lengthy and rigorous one, that took six years of extensive ground and flight tests, countless laboratory tests, audits, and thousands of documents.
With the newly issued Type Certificate, the Hermes StarLiner remotely-piloted aircraft can now fly above populated areas and be used for a variety of applications: to secure mass public events, to participate in border security and anti-terror operations, maritime search and rescue missions, to be used in precision agriculture work, environmental inspection missions, and more.
In order to meet certification standards, Elbit Systems used cutting-edge technology on its Hermes 900 StarLiner UAS. The aircraft comes with sensors and satellite data links, boasts a terrain avoidance warning system, the capability to automatically take-off and land in harsh visibility, to mention just its most notable features. It also has harsh weather capabilities and comes with direct lightning strike sustainment.
With a wingspan of 55.7 ft (17 m) and a weight of 1.6 tons, the Hermes 900 StarLiner can fly at altitudes of up to 25,000 ft (7,620 m). It can stay in the air for 36 hours and has a maximum payload of 990 lb. (450 kg).
Elbit’s UAS is widely appreciated, with over a dozen countries contracting the Israel-based manufacturer so far, to supply the Hermes StarLiner and other variants of it. Canada and Switzerland are just two of them.
While it is an unprecedented achievement for Elbit Systems, the certification process was a lengthy and rigorous one, that took six years of extensive ground and flight tests, countless laboratory tests, audits, and thousands of documents.
With the newly issued Type Certificate, the Hermes StarLiner remotely-piloted aircraft can now fly above populated areas and be used for a variety of applications: to secure mass public events, to participate in border security and anti-terror operations, maritime search and rescue missions, to be used in precision agriculture work, environmental inspection missions, and more.
In order to meet certification standards, Elbit Systems used cutting-edge technology on its Hermes 900 StarLiner UAS. The aircraft comes with sensors and satellite data links, boasts a terrain avoidance warning system, the capability to automatically take-off and land in harsh visibility, to mention just its most notable features. It also has harsh weather capabilities and comes with direct lightning strike sustainment.
With a wingspan of 55.7 ft (17 m) and a weight of 1.6 tons, the Hermes 900 StarLiner can fly at altitudes of up to 25,000 ft (7,620 m). It can stay in the air for 36 hours and has a maximum payload of 990 lb. (450 kg).
Elbit’s UAS is widely appreciated, with over a dozen countries contracting the Israel-based manufacturer so far, to supply the Hermes StarLiner and other variants of it. Canada and Switzerland are just two of them.
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