Hermes to patrol Europe’s coasts

The Elbit Systems Hermes 900 will be used for maritime patrol around European coasts.
Elbit Systems

Elbit Systems has been awarded a contract to provide maritime patrol services to the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).

Under the contract and in cooperation with the Portuguese engineering company CEiiA, Elbit Systems will lease a Hermes 900 Maritime Patrol system and its ground control station to EMSA and operate it on its behalf. An Elbit statement said the system will provide “persistent monitoring of vast swathes of sea and long coastlines and effective identification of suspicious activities and potential hazards within the European Union”.

The contract is initially for a two-year period, with two single-year option periods. The Hermes 900, a medium-altitude long-endurance system, will be equipped with maritime radar, an electro-optical sensor, satellite communication and an automatic identification system receiver.

Lisbon-based EMSA is an EU agency that supports EU member states in the areas of maritime safety and security. It uses unmanned systems to monitor maritime pollution and emissions, detect illegal ishing, combat drug trafficking and illegal immigration and support search and rescue operations. The agency says these services are free to EU and European Free Trade Area member states. Mark Broadbent