Page 14 - ADT SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2022 Online Magazine

GUARDING THE SEAS  MARITIME

THE DEMAND FOR increasing appetite for adding new unmanned assets, many of them

MARITIME UNMANNED with offensive capabilities.
AERIAL SYSTEMS, WHICH In September, the Royal Thai Navy signed a US $120 million three-
ARE CAPABLE OF year contract with Israel’s Elbit Systems for the acquisition of an
unspecified number of Hermes 900 maritime unmanned aerial sys-
EVERYTHING FROM tems (UAS); the company will also provide training capabilities for

SURVEILLANCE TO ATTACK, the service. The UAS systems would include a maritime radar, elec-
tro-optic payload, satellite communication, and droppable inflated
GROWS EXPONENTIALLY life rafts. Capable of performing missions for area dominance, per-
sistent surveillance, target acquisition and intelligence gathering,
the drone, which is meant for both blue water and littoral missions,
 ARUN SIVASANKARAN would be used to protect the country’s maritime sovereignty and
shipping routes, and to assist in sea rescue operations.
With maritime unmanned aerial systems grow-
ing in sophistication and scope to provide The Hermes-900, a multi-role medium altitude long endurance
militaries a potent combination of affordability (MALE) unmanned aerial system (UAS), is capable of flying at alti-
and lethality, it is no surprise that such drones tudes of more than 30,000 ft and in all weather conditions. It has a
have either become an integral part of most wingspan of 15 m, is 8.3 m long, has a max takeoff weight of 1,100
military arsenal or are zooming up the wish list. kg, a maximum payload weight of 300 kg, and an endurance of 30
hours. The drone, which is used for ground support and maritime
Military budgets have shrunk because of the patrol missions as well as integrated multi-platform, multi-sensor
pandemic, but that has not had much of an operations, has double the power and capabilities of the Hermes-
effect on the zeal of militaries across regions to 450, which was acquired in 2017 by the Thai Army. Elbit has had
acquire maritime aerial drones that give naval considerable success with Hermes UAS systems, having sold them
forces the ability to undertake risky surveillance to more than 20 countries.
and offensive operations with minimal loss of
life. While the U.S. is ramping up efforts to match LONG-AWAITED SUCCESS
China that has been unrelenting in its efforts to
expand its maritime strength, navies in the Asia California-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-
Pacific and the Middle East are also showing an ASI), makers of the MQ-9B, now has a customer for the maritime

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