The Philippine Army has received an initial batch of new Hermes 90 THOR VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) mini UAS (mUAS) from Israeli defense company Elbit Systems. IsraelDefense reported that Israeli Elbit was awarded a contract worth $153 million to supply a multi-layered UAV system to a military in Southeast Asia, including over 1,000 Hermes 90 Thor units. MaxDefense received confirmation that the Philippine Army has received an initial batch of brand new Hermes 90 THOR mini unmanned aerial systems (mUAS) from Israel’s Elbit Systems. It remains to be seen how many systems have been delivered although Max Defense believes that at least 100 systems or more could have been delivered before the end of 2022.
Part of the Legion-X robotic and autonomous combat solution, the THOR VTOL mUAS is a fully autonomous military tactical mule platform designed for a wide range of military operational applications and reconnaissance missions. Built from the ground up, THOR can support diverse operational scenarios. The powerful platform is foldable and stored in a backpack, for easy deployment in less than two minutes. The UAS can carry up to 10 kg payload almost anywhere and in a wide range of weather and terrain conditions. THOR is capable of carrying up to three kg of payloads and has a flight duration capability of up to 75 minutes of operation, a maximal range of 10 kilometers and a flight ceiling of up to 2,000 ft.
Elbit Systems’ THOR successfully completed a series of environmental qualification tests ahead of the delivery of more than a thousand of units to an Army in Southeast Asia. As announced on October 6, 2019, the Company was awarded a $153 million contract to provide a networked multi-layered UAS array to an army in Southeast Asia, including more than 1,000 THOR VTOL mini-UAS. The tests demonstrated the capability of THOR to maintain operability in temperatures varying from minus 40C up to 65C, withstand hard gusting rain and rough vibrations, and resist penetration and damage from blowing sand and dust. The environmental qualification tests measured the operational durability of the THOR VTOL mini-UAS under a range of extreme environmental conditions and its capability to withstand the physical stress requirements under the MIL-STD-810.
Elbit Systems Ltd. is an international high technology company engaged in a wide range of defense, homeland security and commercial programs throughout the world. The Company, which includes Elbit Systems and its subsidiaries, operates in the areas of aerospace, land and naval systems, command, control, communications, computers, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (“C4ISR”), unmanned aircraft systems, advanced electro-optics, electro-optic space systems, EW suites, signal intelligence systems, data links and communications systems, radios, cyber-based systems and munitions.
