**The Ministry of Defense of Singapore** has announced the conclusion of a **contract with Elbit Systems for the supply of remote piloted UAS Hermes 900 aircraft**.
These UAS will be configured to perform aeronautical and terrestrial patrol and surveillance missions.
#### Simultaneous Acquisition of P-8A Poseidons
Recently, **Singapore procured four Boeing-built P-8A Poseidon aircraft from the United States for patrol, surface fight and anti-submarine warfare**, replacing the current five Fokker F50 MPA Enforcers Mk 2 that have been in service since 1994 and are now nearing the end of their operational life.
The multi-role MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) Hermes 900 drone is Elbit Systems’ largest drone, designed for a wide range of missions, including area dominance and persistent intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) in both land and maritime domains.
Since its first order in 2011, the Hermes 900 has been selected by over 20 customers worldwide.
#### Characteristics of the Hermes 900
The Hermes 900 is a large APR or remote piloted aircraft, equipped with an advanced mission system, satellite communication system, and is characterized by high reliability and safety in operations.
With fully **autonomous take-off and landing abilities**, the **HERMES 900 offers excellent maneuverability and long autonomy**, beyond the ability to be configured to perform various types of missions.
**The UAV RQ-900 has a flight autonomy of up to 30 hours in a single sortie**, and offers persistent multi-mission capabilities beyond the horizon **with a useful load capacity of 450 kg and a maximum tangent of 30,000 feet**.
**The Hermes 900 incorporates flexible and state-of-the-art multi-payload configurations** that employ standard and long-range scanning systems SPECTRO EO/IR/SWIR/LTD, SAR/GMTI and MPR, COMINT Cellular, CoMMJAM, ELINT, large area scanning systems, SkyEye wide area persistent surveillance and other useful loads.
Photo credit @Elbit Systems
