Elbit Systems has been selected by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to conduct maritime demonstration flights in the UK using a number of its unmanned aerial surveillance systems.

The firm say that the demonstration flights are designed to demonstrate the advantages of using long-range unmanned capabilities in civilian airspace, with the ability to utilise multiple sensors on a single platform. Elbit Systems UK will collaborate closely with the UK Civil Aviation Authority, supported by additional UK companies, including Inzpire and Aviation Systems Group.

The solution will be based around the Hermes 900.

With a wingspan of 15 metres, the 1.2 Ton Hermes 900 Maritime Patrol is a long-range maritime surveillance system tailored for littoral and blue water operations, say Elbit.

“It features maritime radar, an Electro Optic payload, Satellite Communication, an Automatic Identification System receiver and an Emergency Position-indicating Radio Beacon receiver. The Hermes 900 Maritime Patrol enables persistent monitoring of vast swathes of sea and long coastlines with effective advanced search capabilities to support with valuable search and rescue work as well as the identification of potential hazards. Elbit Systems’ Skylark I-LEX will also be taking part in the demonstration flights.”

Elbit say they will support the MCA in their existing efforts, providing a 24-hour maritime search and rescue service around the UK coast and in the international search and rescue region through HM Coastguard.

Martin Fausset, CEO of Elbit Systems UK commented:

“We are proud to partner with the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency on this valuable demonstration of the wide range of unmanned capabilities Elbit Systems UK can offer. We look forward to providing the best possible support for the lifesaving work of the MCA. This is the latest example of how Elbit Systems UK is delivering proven technologies to support operational needs of UK customers.”

Maritime Minister, Nusrat Ghani said:

“Drone technology has enormous potential for our search and rescue teams, who save lives 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This ground-breaking project will not only hope to boost the capabilities of our already fantastic teams but will also boost our ability to spot pollution hazards and protect our precious marine environment.”

About the firm

Elbit Systems UK Ltd (ESUK) holds four wholly-owned subsidiaries as well as two joint ventures. In total, over 500 personnel are employed by the Elbit Systems UK companies, in high tech roles in the defence, aerospace and rail sectors. The two joint ventures were formed in order to deliver the Watchkeeper programme for the British Army and to supply and support three fleets of aircraft within the UK MoD Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) programme.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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88 COMMENTS

    • Good question, I’m wondering too.

      Maybe Park Aberporth and then over the Cardigan Bay ranges?

      Just a guess on my part.

          • Your comment about Israel has no relevance to the discussion about a drone for the MCA hence it was reported.

          • What? Are you going to throw down your gauntlet and demand satisfaction?! Who is your second? Swords or Pistols?

            The ‘OPINION’ that Israel is an Apartheid regime is of no relevance to the MCA trialling an Israeli made drone or the strategic position of the UK.

            It was a ‘dog whistle’ pure and simple that I reported…hence end of story.

          • Considering the comment was removed as requested I think you need to reflect on things a bit before casting finger to keyboard in the future Grubbie.

          • “dog whistle” – lefty speak for “I don’t have an argument”. You are welcome to make the case for arms trading with this nasty little nation but you can’t accuse somene of being antisemitic just because they disagree with you. It’s handing over our industrial base that I am really opposed to. Many Jews oppose the behavior of Israel as do many of the population and you have no idea if I am Jewish.

          • You don’t have an argument relevant to the subject at hand which is: “Israeli surveillance drones in trial to monitor UK waters”

            As for not being Antisemitic I think you will find calling the entire nation of Israel a “Nasty Little Nation” rather does full within the IHRA working definition of Antisemitism.

          • So, by your logic, any Jewish person or Israeli national who doesn’t approve of the behavior of the Israeli state is antisemitic?

          • Was it f**k a “dog whistle”

            Criticising an apartheid state like S Africa was never a “dog whistle” was it

            And it’s not an “opinion” calling Israel an apartheid state is factual, all the facts are there for you to read if you wish

            What’s hilarious is the only argument Israel puts forward for not being apartheid is because Gaza and the West Bank are not officially Israeli land, so it cannot be compared to S Africa’s internal apartheid policy ? which in turn is an admission of guilt that they are annexing/colonising/stealing illegally occupied land, illegal under international law, they make f*****g Russia look like the good guys

            Also from a strategic perspective having a state making drones for us that one of its diplomats was sent home in disgrace just three years ago for plotting to take down MP’s who were not playing ball, condemned by both Labour and Conservative MP’s, should be met with caution

            And I bet my life the UK government know fine well that Israel can can only be let in so much to the UK defence sector, and safeguards are in place, would be crazy not to when dealing with a rogue state that’s been flouting international law for half a century

          • Well you are here having a rant so I would say yes it is ‘Dog Whistle’…FYI title of the article is: “Israeli surveillance drones in trial to monitor UK waters” not “Lets discuss our views on Israeli actions in the occupied territories”.

          • Get back on topic then. I am suggesting that we don’t hand over our industrial base to a violent expansionist apartheid nation with a strong history of subversion,never mind terrorism against the British forces. SoleSurvivor is overconfident in the current government, Pridi Patel tried to hand over aid money to the IDF.

          • Says a person not even remotely on subject who is now doubling down on it.

            Like talking to a brick wall!

          • “However, criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic “-IHRC

          • Don’t bother mate, a known troll who I have outed on so many occasions it’s becone farcical. Just say yes grubbie, you are right and oh so smart! He then licks his own bollocks like a cat and preens himself, it’s so much easier than trying to educate pork. Cheers F.

          • And you haven’t mentioned the carriers? Hello grubbie,Mr “save the Royal Navy troll”! Don’t bother with this muppet, he is a known sad troll!

  5. More than 10 years ago BAe were suggesting Mantis for this very purpose, whilst I understand the there was urgent operation requirement 10 years ago so we went the General Atomics route. We should have kept developing Mantis for exactly this role. Now we’re paying a foreign company to develop this. Very sad. Mantis at the Dubai Airshow 11 years ago below.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5OvXzUIAkk

    • Only tiny now after it was decimated by EU fishing quotas. Has the potential to grow an order or magnitude and provide jobs in areas of the country that are suffering serious protracted financial deprivation.
      Or would you just like the U.K. to rely on financial services as a revenue?

  7. Just for the info:
    The EU, Iceland ,Chile and the Philippines already use the 900 in the Maritime role. So it’s already a proven design.

    • That’s interesting, did not know that. The EU. I thought no UAV flew in Europe’s airspace still due to the usual avoidance issues? Apart from specific airspace set aside, like Watchkeeper flight areas and similar.

      • Daniele<
        I read that story a while ago and noted they were going to be based in Portugal. I didn't know about Iceland and that came out in a goggle:
        Iceland is first nation in Europe to use Hermes 900 maritime patrol
        Iceland has become the first country in Europe to deploy Elbit Systems’ Hermes 900 unmanned aircraft system (UAS) maritime patrol services. Icelandic’s maritime authorities are using the long-range service based at Egilsstaoir Airport in the east of the country to enhance the maritime patrol over the nation’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Deployment of the Hermes 900 at the airport allows it to cover more than half of the Icelandic EEZ. In November last year, Elbit Systems secured a contract from the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to provide maritime UAS patrol services.
        The contract contains a two-year base period and two single year option periods. The company is implementing the contract in cooperation with Portuguese firm CEiiA.
        https://www.naval-technology.com/news/iceland-first-europe-nation-hermes-900-maritime-patrol/

      • As I added to another thread this is such a fast moving segment. There was no point in deploying Watch Keeper as it added very little to the advanced search radar that was by then being fitted to all RN units. Watch keeper didn’t really add that much for quite a lot of bother.

        Otherwise you are funding the drone equivalent of Sea Slug – obsolete at point of deployment.

        The UK does have access to really really good sensor technology, far better than this will contain. Better to sit out a few generations until things settle down while me miniaturise and optimise power requirements.

        We also have platforms for launching really big drones persistent now – QEC – so I can see an effort being directed to a Super Crows Nest (maybe passive) that is on a persistent high flying drone that can do overwatch and just sit there quietly picking up radar reflections (it would have Line o Sight so could be an adjunct to Over the Horizon beam bending active transmissions from as CBG)

        ATM it is difficult for something persistent to have active radar because of the power consumption. But passive is a different story as that just needs sensors, head amps, digitisers and filters.

        • Watchkeeper. What did we spend? 850 Million or something? And obsolete already, it having taken so long.

          Another on DC’s list no doubt?

          • Watchkeeper is designed for use by the Royal Artillery in the ISTAR role, primarily target acquisition. Yes people are led to believe its a white elephant , but as an asset it affords a capability which nobody else in Europe has

          • Might be wrong, I was under the impression that it does work, what is not going so well is training enough people to get the regiment operational. Though I read recently 1 Battery is now ready.

            From what I read, in the long period of development and delivery of the Air Systems the MoD sorted out with the CAA and others a dedicated area for flying these things over Salisbury Plain, launching from Boscombe with a “rough field” site at Upavon. Have these flights ever taken place?

            We read here that training had moved to Ascension and to Cyprus to get good weather availability.

          • It does work mate, had that from the horses mouth, but pilot training, weather and availability is an issue.

        • Mate, for a ship to be equipped with an over the horizon radar it will need to be over a kilometre long, due to the long wavelengths involved. If you use the method to bounce the signal off the ionosphere, you will have a massive dead zone between the skip zone due to the angle you need to fire the transmission at the ionosphere (think of bouncing a snooker ball off the cushion) It is also highly dependent on the time of day, plus any activity from sun spots. The time of day effects the ionosphere’s height and thickness, which alters not only the frequency you can use but also the angle that can b used to bounce the signal.

          The ground wave principle is better suited to ships, but again the vessel carrying the antenna will be massively long as we are talking HF frequencies.

          For comparison look up the Russian “Container (29B6)” radar. It is a HF radar that uses the ground wave principle, its total length is 1.3Km.

          Both types of radar are very good at detecting very slow moving objects such as ships. But because of the beam’s dispersion over distance, the target’s range resolution for objects over 600km away can be anything from 20 to 40 kilometres (12–25 mi) and bearing accuracy roughly 2 to 4 kilometres (1.2–2.5 mi). The target’s resolution will be too “blurry” for identification, you can best guess it as an aircraft, ship etc based on the target’s velocity.

          • @DaveyB
            @ Daniele Mandelli

            I erroneously posted the drone type. Something to do with a my five year old son bouncing around. I didn’t mean Watch Keeper at all. I actually meant Scan Eagle. My bad.

            WRT wavelength yes a big array is needed. And timing is key to all radar and sonar imaging. However you can get round this with a synthetic receiver made up of lots of elements provided you know the spacing of the elements with sufficient accuracy. So you can perfectly well use an array of drones provided you know the spacing from either them pinging each other or laser interferometry.

      • Daniele, If I understand correctly the Hermes 900 has either been selected or is operated by Switzerland. The Swiss have been operating the ADS 95 since 2001.

  9. Giving Israel surveillance privileges over UK risks granting such access to China and other competitor nations as well. Israel has been known to sell secrets. Don’t use them as a crutch, because they will pull out from under you at the first sign of trouble.

  11. Let’s get back on topic. Some how or another we have not only managed to fail to develop a key stratigic defence industry, but we have also handed a portion of it directly to a foreign state. This state glorifies terrorists who murdered British servicemen and the majority of the British public are opposed to assisting their arms industry. Some of this opposition is owing to religious belief, but most is because human rights violations and non compliance with international law.

    • First of all, Germany killed Millions of Britons, Millions! Not just “Servicemen”, but tens of thousands of civilians too! Going off your slant, maybe we should be equally, if not more concerned about the Boxer Project?
      Maybe we should be wary of Germany’s new war in Europe, one that takes fiscal control of lesser EU States?
      Iran has (indirectly) killed many more service personnel than that of Israel in its period of establishing legitimate Statehood.
      Israel has a 23% Muslim, Druze, Christian population…with Senior Arab/Muslim representatives in the Knesset, Armed Forces, Judiciary, Medicine…Muslim businesses thrive in Israel, LGBT Arabs/Muslims walk the streets of Israel with complete ease and safety, knowing they won’t be slung off a tall building…Some ‘Apartheid State’ Hey!!
      Unlike your ridiculous and uncorroborated claim that “the majority of the British public are opposed to assisting their arms industry”, The true fact is: A sizeable proportion of the Arab/Muslim population of Israel do not wish to be governed by a Palestinian State/Leadership, opting either to remain under Israeli Democracy or in the case of The West Bank, Jordanian Rule.
      Maybe your time would be better spent condemning the actions of the real terrorists “Hamas”, who send the innocent to border fencing after Friday Prayer, with cameras in tow?
      Or maybe Iranian backed Hezbollah, who threaten Israels Northern border?

      Israel is a Sovereign State, not perfect by any measure, ditto The UK, USA…

    • Grubbie wrote:
      Let’s get back on topic. Some how or another we have not only managed to fail to develop a key stratigic defence industry,
      Actually the UK has one of the biggest defence industries going, the thing is for over 40 years the left have been demanding that the defence industry be disbanded and the new generation of MPs have been doing just that.

      but we have also handed a portion of it directly to a foreign state.
      What you mean like how the Chieftain tank was improved by the Israelis, how the Tornado, Concorde, Typhoon, Storm shadow , Milan, and a lot more are procured from a mutli-national endeavour. why my retired brown boots upstairs (HAIX) are German. The (issued) first aid bandages I carry on me when I go mountain biking are Israeli first aid bandages.

      The world today is interlinked liked never before and that can only be for the better for everybody. yet here you are hankering about the past how the Israelis fought for independence from the British , using that analogy should we also curtail links with:
      Eygpt
      Nigeria
      Kenya
      Cyprus
      India
      Ireland
      US

      But hang on those people only wanted to be free, how should we relate to people who actually went to war with the UK:
      Germany
      Japan
      France
      Sweden
      Spain
      Argentina
      Holland
      Italy

      Unlike you, most of the world has moved on, which is why the following countries have purchased the Hermes 900 :
      Azerbaijan
      Brazil
      Chile
      Colombia
      EU
      Iceland
      Mexico
      Philippines
      Switzerland

      Oh and if you hate the Israeli state so much and wish to see the world ban its goods, how about you start first by getting rid of the following technologies which were developed in Israel:
      Intel chips
      Mobile phone chips
      Microsoft software
      Computer printing technology
      Texting technology
      Apple software
      The multilocking bars on most plastic front doors
      The Cherry tomato
      The USB flashdrive

      As I said the world has never been more interweaved as before and that can only be a goodthing.

      • You have drifted off,
        The Palestinian refugees would like to be free and return to the homes from which they were ethically cleansed.
        Germany isn’t illegally occupying another state in contravention of countless UN resolutions.
        The UK refused to sell chieftain tanks to the Israelis.
        Hopefully you are not totally reliant on Israel to provide bandages when you go mountain biking.

        • G wrote:
          The Palestinian refugees would like to be free and return to the homes from which they were ethically cleansed.

          I’m not Ian, and I looked into the issue regards Israel in great detail simply as to understand what the problem was and one thing I found is the use of terminological inexactitudes in which to promote the Palestinian agenda.For example whilst people love to talk about Palestinian refugees in which to try and gain the moral high ground, nobody ever mentions the exact same number of Jews ethnically cleansed from the countries of their birth .The thing is that ethnic cleansing commenced well before 1948. Jordan which was the original Palestinian homeland as written into the Balfour Declaration drew up a constitution in 1923 which forbade jews from owning land or living there. That law is till current and from that date Jews who lived in Jordan for over 3000 years were expelled. States such as Egypt, Libya and Iraq expelled their Jews before 1948 , that exodus went into overdrive post 1948.

          In 1948, when Israel declared independence, it was invaded by 7 countries:
          Lebanon
          Syria
          Jordan
          Egypt
          Iraq
          Saudi Arabia
          Yemen

          Who sole remit was to eradicate the jew, they informed the local Palestinian population to leave the areas in contention so they would not be in the line of fire. However there was a problem, they lost

          In 1967, the Arabs tried again. this time Israel refused to allow them to have the upperhand and they struck at the masses of Arab armies stacked up on their borders (Kind of explains the Iraq Army in the West Bank at the time) After defeating the Arabs, the Israelis offered to hand back all the land they had won with the displaced people allowed to return to their former homes. The Arab league answer later that year (01/09/1967) Khartoum was the infamous Three Nos
          no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with it”
          I’m not saying Israel is blameless, far from it, but there are 2 sides to every story and it doesn’t help the narrative when you only present one.

          Just for the record , I have visited the area and I faced less hostility in Israel than I did in Egypt,Jordan,Lebanon and Syria. as did my sister.

          • Farouk
            Not sure what “I’m not Ian” (if anything) means/implies?
            I’m an independent poster, I speak from on-the-ground experience of the N/ME, taking in the Islamic States!
            I am a UK National and my views are totally independent of anyone else on this forum, that respectfully includes yours.

            Grubbie
            For whatever reason/reasons, your argument is terribly simplistic and misleading.
            I may not accept your views, but I accept your right to free speech, as misleading as it may be!!

          • Ian, sorry, I usually receive updates via Email on people replying to my posts, but I haven’t today, so I presumed I was answering to a post meant for you.

        • G wrote:
          The UK refused to sell chieftain tanks to the Israelis
          Yes they did, but that still doesn’t take away the fact that the Israelis were tasked to redesign it during the 60s. which is what they did and made the tank so effective on introduction.

          • farouk – I’m sure the Israeli’s trialed the Chieftain Tank ,it was obviously seen as the successor to the Centurion,but after the 6 Day War a lot of Countries (UK,France to name but two) went cold on Arms sales ,leading to embargos ,,which helped push on their own Arms Industries as they had to become self sufficient.The Kfir and Merkava being the products that are best known.

        • “Germany isn’t illegally occupying another state in contravention of countless UN resolutions”.

          And you think the Israeli Government is?

          You are unbelievably naive or totally ignorant of the facts!

          Resolution 181 is Israel’s legitimacy to Statehood, Fact!

          Israel occupies no other State, there has never been a ‘Palestinian State’, Fact!

          Israel, on many occasions, accepted up to 90-95% of Palestinian Statehood negotiations on pre 67 lines but were always met with belligerent posturing from Arafat and all who followed him.

          Buffer zones: Golan, Gaza…only exist because of Arabs waging wars on the Jews: Six-Day, Yom Kippur…

          Annexation is a result of terrorism and the refusal to enter into a peaceful resolution that now precludes any chance of a Palestinian State/Two-State Solution, at least in our lifetime.

          Consecutive Palestinian militant groups, have become more and more extreme, where you now have factions such as Holy Jihad Brigades, Hamas…being funded and supplied by Iran/The IRG.

          Israel may soon have no choice, but to remove terror and uncertainty by sowing more seeds of democracy and stability within its historical lands, such as Judea and Samaria…a Three-State Solution on redrawn lines.

          It is the duty of any State to protect its citizens! Unlike the Palestinians, who deliberately put their kith and kin, of all ages, into harm’s way.

          Hamas must end indoctrinating children through school (Hate) literature.

          The UN would better serve its purpose, by demanding the removal of hate literature from schools in Gaza!!

          It’s time for Jordan and Egypt to take a more proactive stance over militant factions, those terror organisations who are the friends of Jeremy Corbyn and such like-minded people?

      • They work as well as any other drones of the period, regardless of the losses through bad weather…
        Or is it simply that it/they use Israeli technology?

          • You don’t have to convince me…I simply responded to Grubbie’s inherent hatred toward Israel.
            I see Elbit Systems as an essential partner in a rapidly evolving electronics defence industry.

          • A significant number of Israelis doesn’t approve of the behavior of their own nation, that is not inherent hatred.

        • I never said there is anything wrong with Israeli technology, just that we shouldn’t be funding it and allowing a dodgy foreign state to control our defence industries. You are ridiculously baised in favour of Israel. Israel, rightly or wrongly, simply could not exist as a Jewish state without ethnic cleansing as the Jews would be outvoted if the original inhabitants were allowed to return to their homes. The Israelis have been completely open about this since before the state was created.

          • If the product is good they should use it, British Army got also got the Exactor from Israel while in Afghanistan.
            It seems was some sort of an emergency request.

            ——
            You hate that Jews have a country, we already get that Grubbie…

            Just to show to you your discriminating way of thinking:
            You talk about Allied occupation of Germany?
            It was only ended after de-nazification…
            What about Germans expelled from their lands after their lost the war? Or why don’t you complain about Balkans population changes? it was just 25 years ago.

            Jews expelled from Arab countries and Persia also does not register on you. Maybe you already know the answer why.

            And btw where Baha’i an Iranian religion had to build their temples after being expelled by Islamist forces? Haifa in Israel. That also does not register.

          • Well, that’s just madness, many Jews and many Israeli citizens are horrified by the appalling behavior of Israel their blatant theft and illegal occupation. I don’t recall talking about the occupation of Germany at all, but I do recall that they shoved all the Jews into ghettos and took the opportunity to steal from them in a rather similar way to what the Israelis have done to the Palestinians.
            The Israelis also manufacture excellent targeting pods, by the way.

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