Elbit Hermes 900
Armed MALE drone · also known as Hermes 900, Kochav
| Designer / manufacturer | Elbit Systems |
|---|---|
| Countries | Israel |
| Production | Israel (plant not specified); Indian variant with Adani Defence & Aerospace |
| Operators | Israel, Philippines, Switzerland, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, India, Mexico, Serbia, Singapore, Thailand |
| Estimated unit cost | $15M–$20M per system, estimate (2017) · source |
| Confidence | low |
Other published estimates
| Estimate | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|
| $2M, reported (2024) | Hermes 450, a different type, per L'Orient Today | today.lorientlejour.com |
Reported characteristics
| Payload (kg) | 300-350 |
|---|---|
| mtowKg | 970-1180 |
| Endurance (h) | 30+ to 36 (sources differ) |
| ceilingFt | 30000 |
| Wingspan (m) | 15 |
Notes
System price covers three aircraft plus ground equipment. No per-aircraft price found.
Who uses it and how they obtain it
How each user obtains this type, from open sources (research note of 12 October 2026). Confidence concerns the route claim: high means several independent authoritative sources or an official source; medium, one good source with supporting coverage; low, a single source, a party's claim or visual similarity only. 'Contested' means a party denies it, sources disagree, or it rests only on a party's claim. Several primary documents were only reachable through secondary coverage. This is background on the type, not evidence about any specific incident. Explanations are in English.
| User | How obtained | Explanation and sources |
|---|---|---|
| Israel | own production Confidence: high | Developed and built by Elbit Systems; Elbit says about 20 foreign customers operate the Hermes 900 (Janes) and announced a USD 120 million contract from an unnamed international customer in September 2025. Components: Not documented in the sources found. |
| Philippines | import / supply Confidence: high | The Philippine Air Force confirmed operating the Hermes 900 (Janes); a 2018 order for nine Hermes 900 and four Hermes 450 is reported, with the final deliveries expected in 2020. Components: Not applicable (finished aircraft). |
| Switzerland | import / supply Confidence: high | Switzerland's ADS 15 programme covers six Hermes 900 HFE (about CHF 250 million); the first two were delivered in 2022-23 after delays and a test-flight crash. Components: Not applicable (finished aircraft). |
| India | licensed or localised production Confidence: high | Adani-Elbit Advanced Systems India builds the Hermes 900 as the Drishti-10 at Hyderabad, and the Indian Navy took delivery of aircraft; Adani claims about 70% indigenisation. Components: Indian content figure (about 70%) is a company claim; composite airframe production started in India first. |
Dossiers mentioning this type
No published dossier names this type yet.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbit_Hermes_900
- https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htairfo/20170908.aspx
- https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1369444/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-2-million-israeli-drone-hezbollah-shot-down-today.html
Cost figures are published estimates from third parties and vary widely; they are not DroneLedger assessments. Corrections: About, corrections & privacy.
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