RTN Selected Elbit Systems Hermes 900 as a Winner ?

06 April 2022

Hermes 900 UAV (photos : Elbit Systems)

As of this writing, no announcements have been made from the Royal Thai Navy's Central Procurement and Price Information Center (RTN: Royal Thai Navy) or the Comptroller General's Department (CGD: Comptroller General's Department), the Ministry of Commerce. which can access to check the use of government agencies' budgets for the Naval Acquisition Management Office (NAMO: Naval Acquisition Management Office) about the winners of the Coastal Aircraft UAV program. By the selection method, the amount of 3,962,040,000 baht ($118,693,250) was published in December 2021.

The TOR (Terms of Reference) draft document has not been published for details of the UAV required by the Royal Thai Navy. But there is preliminary information that will be provided 1 the system consists of 3 aircraft with related equipment and tools.

Of the four mid-price sources, Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.(IAI), Elbit Systems Ltd Israel, China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC), People's Republic of China, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) US.

A spokesman for the Royal Thai Navy cited allegations from political and media outlets that the Navy had selected the Israeli Elbit Systems Hermes 900 unmanned aerial vehicle as the winner.

The Hermes 900 will be the second UAV to be supplied by Elbit Systems, Israel, following the Hermes 450 UAV in service. unmanned aerial vehicle battalion 21st Aviation Battalion, Department of Aviation, Army Aviation Center, Royal Thai Army.

Although the preliminary information Royal Thai Naval Air Division (RTNAD: Royal Thai Naval Air Division) Royal Thai Navy It intends to use the MALE UAV: ​​Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

Mainly in maritime patrol missions with the development of unmanned aerial vehicle system (UAS: Unmanned Aircraft Systems) capabilities both procured from abroad and developed in Thailand.

The latest data has revealed that the Hermes 900 is capable of an armed unmanned aerial vehicle (UCAV: Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle), presumably including the Spike family of anti-tank missiles.

It has long been reported that some UAV systems used by the Israeli Air Force can be armed. But it was never confirmed, presumably because Israel wanted to keep the matter secret. If it can be confirmed that it is true, the Hermes 900 will be the first UAV of the Thai Navy that can choose to be armed.

Also open to Cooperation in transferring knowledge to the Defense Technology Institute (DTI), which has expertise in UAV systems for the military, which will enable Thailand to be self-reliant in using the system and develop the Thai domestic aviation industry too.

(AAG)