Brazil orders second batch of Hermes 900s
Two Hermes 900s are already in service with the FAB. (Photo: FAB)
Brazilian Air Force supplements its Hermes 900 fleet with a new order.
The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) has ordered more Hermes 900 multirole UASs and spare parts from Elbit Systems via its Brazilian subsidiary AEL Sistemas.
Elbit disclosed on 5 January that the 16-month contract is ‘in an amount that is not material’.
While the Israeli company did not reveal how many additional Hermes 900 aircraft have been ordered, reports in the Brazilian media indicated that the FAB will double its fleet from two to four.
If this is true, Shephard Defence Insight estimates a total value of $25.9 million.
The FAB has operated a mixed fleet of Hermes 900s and Hermes 450s for a range of missions including homeland security (such as during the 2014 FIFA World Cup) and monitoring deforestation in the Amazon.
Elbit GM Yoram Shmuely claimed the company is ‘an integral part of the FAB UAS fleet’s growth roadmap’, although there are signs that Brazil also wants to encourage domestic industry to meet its requirements.
In April 2021, for instance, the FAB and Embraer agreed to jointly develop a UAV made ‘with national technology and with multiple capabilities’, according to an FAB press release.
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