Elbit Systems announced Tuesday that Canada's Public Services and Procurement Office, on behalf of Transport Canada, selected the Hermes StarLiner Unmanned Aircraft System to support maritime environmental protection missions in the Arctic and along the Canadian eastern and western coasts.
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The move was made as part of the Canadian National Aerial Surveillance Program.
The Hermes StarLiner is a medium-altitude, long-endurance 1.6 tones UAS that includes a range of commercial aviation capabilities qualifying it to be safely integrated into civilian airspace. It features detect-and-avoid systems, redundant data-links, terrain avoidance warning system, automatic take-off and landing capability in near-zero visibility, de-icing and direct lightning strike sustainment capabilities, as well as a powerful heavy fuel engine.
The Hermes StarLiner UAS will take-off and land in civilian airfields to perform a wide range of operations to reduce harmful environmental impacts, including detection of oil pollution, Ice Patrol and Reconnaissance, wildlife survey, Fisheries Patrol and others, Elbit said.
Canada's Transport Minister Marc Garneau said in a statement that "Canada is committed to protecting our endangered species and our marine environment. Integrating remotely piloted aircraft into our fleet will make our surveillance operations more robust than ever. The National Aerial Surveillance Program also helps with search and rescue, humanitarian efforts, illegal fishing enforcement, and the development and regulation of Canada's drone industry."
Adverse weather conditions and short endurance degrade the search and surveillance capabilities of manned aircraft, often preventing them from executing their missions, Elbit explained in a press release.
"Deploying the Hermes StarLiner UAS will enable Transport Canada to maintain persistent surveillance over vast bodies of water and long coastlines. Capable of continuous flight, the Hermes StarLiner UAS can operate in adverse weather conditions in both day and night, improving mission effectiveness and increasing the number of missions that can be safely executed."
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