JERUSALEM, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Israel's defense electronics company Elbit Systems unveiled Thursday a new civilian UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) to be used in security missions.
The new aircraft, HermesTM 900 StarLiner, will be operated by police forces and other security bodies for locating and chasing terrorists, preventing attacks and gathering intelligence.
Thanks to its technology to detect aircrafts and avoid collisions, the new UAV will be permitted to take off from civilian airports, with no need to close airspace in the area.
The new UAV has a 160-horsepower engine weighing 1.6 tons, and its wingspan is 17 meters. It can reach a speed of 85 knots (about 157 km per hour) and fly at 30,000 feet (9 km) high, similar to passenger planes.
The new UAV is capable of covering an area within a radius of 80 km. Its flight range is over 1,000 km, and can last 30 hours in the air.
The Swiss government is the first to acquire the Israeli UAV in a deal worth 200 million U.S. dollars.
Elbit System, founded in 1966, is a public company based in the city of Haifa in northern Israel.
