WarSclerotic

Arutz Sheva Staff, 12/07/18 10:20

Elbit Systems commences global marketing of the HermesTM 900 StarLiner, a powerful and trend setting Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) that features adverse weather capabilities and is fully compliant with NATO’s Standardization Agreement (STANAG) 4671, qualifying it to be safely integrated into civilian airspace and fly in the same environment with manned aircraft. Concluding an extensive year-long flying schedule, the Hermes 900 StarLiner has been performing Civil Aviation Authority certified flights in Masada National Park, Israel.

A series of the Hermes 900 StarLiner (known as Hermes 900 HFE in the Swiss program) is currently being assembled for the Swiss Armed Forces and is scheduled to be delivered and integrated into Switzerland NAS during 2019.

Security events, such as the dismantling of ISIS and diverse geo-political tensions, have caused European countries to re-orient defense efforts from involvement in far-away conflicts to coping with intensifying homeland and border security challenges.

This shift has resulted in a growing demand for advanced yet mature UAS that can be safely integrated into civilian airspace and provide the technological capabilities that are required to effectively and safely perform complex homeland and border security missions. Drawing on the legacy of the widely operational Hermes 900 and Hermes 450 and their proven technologies, Elbit Systems has conducted an extensive multi-year R&D effort focusing on producing a mature UAS that complies with civilian airspace regulations and can be safely integrated into European NAS.

Meeting the strict safety and certification requirements of non-segregated airspace regulations required all the components of Hermes 900 StarLiner to be designed in full compliance with STANAG 4671 and to incorporate the most advanced aviation technologies, including: cooperative and non-cooperative Detect & Avoid Systems, Train Avoidance Warning System, Automatic Take-off and Landing in near zero visibility, redundant broad bandwidth line-of-sight (LOS) and beyond line-of-sight (BLOS) data link and adverse weather capabilities such as de-icing and direct lightning strike sustainment. These technological enhancements allow the aircraft to operate in both visual and instrument meteorological conditions, and its powerful heavy fuel engine provides improved climb rate, extended endurance and higher ceiling and maximum speed.

Elad Aharonson, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Elbit Systems ISTAR Division, commented: “Anticipating the rising security need for operating unmanned aircraft in the same environment with civilian manned aircraft enabled us to achieve this breakthrough. We are committed to maintain our approach of technological innovation based on an extensive operational experience and provide our customers with advanced yet mature systems that enhance effectiveness and safety when coping with the evolving national security needs”.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shaking hands with US President Donald Trump at the Oval Office . (photo credit: HAIM ZACH/GPO)

Israel is completely coordinated with the US regarding the situation in Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters on Thursday, hours after US Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted that Israel should be “very careful making agreements with Russia re Syria that affect US interests.”

To our friends in Israel – be very careful making agreements with Russia re Syria that affect U.S. interests.

I don’t trust Russia to police Iran or anyone else in Syria. U.S. must maintain presence in Syria to ensure ISIS doesn’t come back and to counter Russia/Iran influence. — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) July 11, 2018

Graham is one of Israel’s staunchest supporters in the senate. Netanyahu, in his comments, chose to highlight the second part of Graham’s tweet, which was that he does not trust “Russia to police Iran or anyone else in Syria.”

The US, Graham said, must “maintain presence in Syria to ensure ISIS doesn’t come back and to counter Russia/Iran influence.”

Asked about US President Donald Trump’s comments a few months ago that he wanted to withdraw US troops from Syria, Netanyahu said in response that he heard US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo say recently that the US troops should remain in Syria until Iran exits.

While repeating that Israel’s demand was for Iran to leave Syria, he said that there were three immediate priorities: that Iranian and Hezbollah forces be distanced from the border with Israel, that the Iranian long range missiles in Syria be removed, and that people are not “slaughtered” in the buffer zone with Israel.

Netanyahu said Israel has attacked Islamic State “all over the world.”

Netanyahu said that the Russians have distanced Iran dozens of kilometers from the border, and that there has only been some isolated cases of Iranian or Shia militias coming back to the border disguised as Syrian President Bashar Assad forces.

Regarding other issues, Netanyahu – asked if the country was on the cusp on few elections – said that he hoped that they would be held close to their scheduled time, but that the matter was not only in his hand, a reference to Agudat Yisrael threat to leave the coalition over the haredi enlistment law.

At the end of the briefing, when no one had asked about the investigations, Netanyahu himself brought up the issue. “Isn’t anyone going to ask about the investigations.”

“It is nothing,” he said, answering his own question, and changing his standard mantra of “there will be nothing , because there is nothing.”

“It is nothing,: he said. “With a capital ‘N.’” The prime minister revealed that he has a busy travelling month in August, that will likely include a meeting with the leaders of the Balkan countries in Croatia, a meeting with the leaders of the Baltic states, and a likely trip to Colombia for the inaguration of the new presdient there — an event that will be attended by many Latin American leaders.