Israeli defense company Elbit Systems said its Hermes 900 drones helped locate dozens of concealed Iranian ballistic missile launchers during the June war between Israel and Iran, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Amir Bettesh, vice president for unmanned aircraft systems marketing at Elbit, told a drone technology conference in Tel Aviv that the Hermes 900, known in the Israeli Air Force as the Kochav, also assisted in striking Iranian air defenses, radar systems, and ammunition depots.
According to Bettesh, about 70 percent of Israel’s flight hours during the conflict were carried out by drones rather than piloted aircraft. He said the performance of the Hermes 900 underscored the continued importance of medium-sized drones to Israel’s security, even as other militaries scale back their use.
At the same event, Orbit Communications CEO Daniel Eshchar said future air wars may be fought “almost without human resources,” with 90–95 percent of flight time handled by drones. He added that Israel’s use of unmanned aircraft was already shaping the way future conflicts would be fought.
