"The Elbit Hermes 450 is utilized in the communications, reconnaissance and surveillance roles though at least one Israeli form is thought to be armed."
The Hermes 450 is an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) of Israeli origination, part of the growing family of Hermes "Unmanned Aircraft Systems" (UAS) including the Hermes 90 up to the Hermes 1500. She falls under the Elbit Systems branding and is designed for tactical long endurance sorties. The Hermes 450 is primarily utilized as a reconnaissance, communications and surveillance platform by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) but an armed version is thought to exist operationally. Several nations with growing interest in showcasing UAVs have either evaluated, leased or purchased the Hermes 450 system, those including the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore and Brazil.
The Hermes 450 is operated by the accompanying Hermes Universal Ground Control System (UGCS) which allows the flight crew full control over all integrated Hermes 450 systems. As such, the crew can interpret all incoming imagery and data in real-time and react accordingly, often times in conjunction with other ground elements. The Hermes has become a proven and highly versatile defense package that can be modified to suit the mission need. It features a gimbaled electro-optical payload that can accept reconnaissance and surveillance equipment as needed. Elbit states that their Hermes 450 has accumulated some 65,000 hours of flight in its short history, already having seen active service in several combat environments.
Structurally, the Hermes 450 follows in line with other contemporary UAV designs (it shares an outward similarity to the American Predator series). The fuselage is long and tubular in shape, containing the required guidance system, payload suites and internal guidance controls. The undercarriage consists of bow-legged structure mounted amidships holding single-wheeled main landing gear legs while the steerable nose landing gear (single-wheeled) is held well ahead in the design, just aft of the nose cone. The undercarriage is completed static and does not retract when in flight. The available optics suite can be seen protruding from its blister housing along the fuselage centerline ahead of the wings. The wing assembly sits atop a short support structure and is straight in design (featuring little in the way of sweep) with cranked wing tips. The wings sit just aft of amidships. The empennage is made up of a "vee-shaped" slanted wing structure, these fins doubling as both the rudder and stabilizer. The Hermes 450 wingspan is listed at 34 feet, 5 inches while her length is 20 feet. Gross weight is in the vicinity of 1,000lb.
Power is supplied from a single, compact UEL R802/902(W) series Wankel four-stroke cycle rotary engine delivering 52 horsepower to a two-bladed propeller. Wankel engines have been fitted to UAVs, cars (civilian and race types), watercraft and even hand-held power tools. The powerplant provides the Hermes 450 with a range of 124 miles and a listed endurance time of approximately 20 hours. Rate-of-climb is reported to be around 900 feet-per-minute with a maximum speed listed at 109 miles per hour, cruise being equal to 81 miles per hour.
Article Continues Below Advertisement...
ADVERTISEMENTS
Israel is the primary and, appropriately, the most quantitative operator of their Hermes 450 UAV system. An entire squadron of such vehicles has been formed and the air force has gone on to arm their Hermes 450 family (though the IAF has not officially confirmed this). As with American UAVs, Israeli UAVs - if armed - are thought to make use of the "Hellfire" anti-tank missile most synonymous with the tank-killing Apache helicopter, of which the Israelis operate in some number. The Hermes 450 has seen extensive action over the Gaza Strip and in the relatively recent 2006 Lebanon War, currently maintaining active operational status within the IAF ranks. In early 2009, Hermes 450 systems are said to have participated in a pair of airstrikes launched against Sudan in an effort to control the flow of Iranian arms into the Gaza Strip.
Brazil ordered some 15 total Hermes units to assist in their ongoing urban drug wars. It is currently evaluating a collection of Hermes operationally for the army and navy for the period not to exceed one year. In 2007, Croatia received at least two Hermes 450 systems. Similarly, the Mexican government received an unknown number of Hermes 450 examples in 2009. Singapore has made it known that it acquire the Hermes 450 to add to its growing list of operational UAVs.
Georgia has actively fielded the Hermes 450 in the skies above the disputed Abkhazia region. The breakaway republic of Abkhazia is recognized by some countries (including Russia) as an autonomous nation while others (including the United States) consider it to be a part of Georgia proper. It borders the Black Sea and thus gives it a strategic value in the region. However, in 2008, at least three (perhaps as many as seven) Hermes 450 systems belonging to the Georgian Air Force were shot down during the period of March 2008 to May 2008 (either by Russian or Abkhazian forces). The overflights were seen as a direct violation of the 1994 "Agreement on a Cease-Fire and Separation of Forces" (also known as the "1994 Moscow Agreement") signed by both parties and witnessed by the United States and Russia.
The United Kingdom operate the Hermes 450 UAV as part of an artillery regiment of the British Royal Army (32nd Regiment Royal Artillery). The system has seen active participation in British involvement throughout the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. However, the UK variant does not include provision for the fitting of armament but does make use of an integrated laser gyroscope for inertial navigation. An upgrade to the Hermes 450 program, falling under the project name of "Watchkeeper", is slated to replace the older 450-series with the improved "Hermes 450 B" model (be known in the British inventory under the designation of "WK450"). This newer Hermes is said to wield all-weather capability and a reinforced structure for the rigors of an active battlefield environment as well as Ground-Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) and dual electro-optical payloads. Replacements are scheduled to begin sometime in 2010.
The United States has tested the Hermes 450 system for both the US Border Patrol and the US Department of Defense.
October 2020 - Azerbaijan has been actively using its Hermes 450 series UAVs in the ISR role in its war with neighboring Armenia.
Power & Performance Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Elbit Hermes 450 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
1 x UEL R802/902(W) Wankel engine delivering 52 horsepower. Propulsion
109 mph 176 kph | 95 kts Max Speed
17,999 ft 5,486 m | 3 miles Service Ceiling
124 miles 200 km | 108 nm Operational Range
900 ft/min 274 m/min Rate-of-Climb
City-to-City Ranges Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).
NYC
LON
LON
PAR
PAR
BER
BER
MOS
MOS
TOK
TOK
SYD
SYD
LAX
LAX
NYC
Structure The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Elbit Hermes 450 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
0 (UNMANNED) Crew
20.0 ft 6.10 m O/A Length
34.4 ft (10.50 m) O/A Width
992 lb (450 kg) MTOW
Design Balance The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.
RANGE
ALT
SPEED
Armament Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Elbit Hermes 450 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) .
Typically None. If armed, 2 x Hellfire Anti-Tank Guided Missiles or similar.
Variants Notable series variants as part of the Elbit Hermes 450 family line.
Hermes 450 - Base Series Designation; reconnaissance, surveillance and tactical long endurance variant.
Hermes 450 B - British "Watchkeeper" program baseline model.
"Watchkeeper" WK450 - British designation of Hermes 450 B production model.
Hermes 900 - Medium Altitude, Long Endurance Variant; assault capabilities.
Operators Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Elbit Hermes 450. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.
Total Production: 100 Units Contractor(s): Elbit Systems - Israel
[ Azerbaijan; Brazil; Croatia; Georgia; Israel; Mexico; Singapore; United Kingdom; United States ]
Relative Max Speed
Hi: 120mph
Lo: 60mph
Aircraft Max Listed Speed (109mph).
Graph Average of 90 MPH.
Era Crossover
Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)
Max Alt Visualization
Production Comparison
100
36183
44000
Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.
The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.
