Czech Republic to buy Israeli combat drones Hermes and Heron for over $62 million

The Czech Army may soon receive Israeli-made drones.

What we know

The Czech Ministry of Defense and army officials will soon hold talks with the Israeli government on the purchase of strike drones. The Czech Republic wants the drones with a 15-meter wingspan and is ready to allocate more than $62 million for the purchase.

Delivery of the first drone is expected by the end of 2022. The rest of the drones should be received by the end of 2026. In addition, Czech army personnel must be trained within four years.

Hermes 900

Models of attack drones are not specified yet, but apparently we are talking about drones Hermes 900 and Heron Mk II produced by Elbit Systems and IAI respectively. The first one is equipped with communication satellites and used for surveillance, patrolling, reconnaissance, but there is an option to install a strike system. The modular design allows the components to be quickly changed depending on the tasks to be performed.

Heron Mk II

Heron Mk II is also a reconnaissance drone. It has a maximum speed of 260 km/h and a flight time of up to 45 hours. The drone is capable of climbing to an altitude of more than 10 km. The strength of Mk II version is the ability to collect reconnaissance data without approaching the target.

Source: Novinky.cz

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