New UAV Payload

A new hyperspectral payload will be installed onboard the Hermes 900 UAV, thus increasing the aircraft’s intelligence capabilities.

The Israeli company Elbit Systems is offering its new Hermes 900 UAV with the option of a hyperspectral payload, which can provide additional capabilities for intelligence personnel. According to Elbit officials, the integration will increase  the sale prospects of the large UAV, which is also used by the Israeli Air Force.

El-Op, a part of Elbit Systems, developed photography technology which allows the photographing of a cell area in several wavelengths simultaneously. Unlike in ordinary photography, which is intended to locate the outline of a given object or target, the hyperspectral photography allows the following after the hyperspectral "signature" of the photographed object. Such photography distinguishes between various materials such as fuel containers or warehouses of chemical substances in the cell area.

Every substance spreads radiation along different wavelengths, and the new camera constructs a detailed image of the cell area of interest. Hyperspectral systems were, until recently, used only onboard satellites or photography aircraft. Now, due to miniaturization efforts, a system exists that can be suitable for UAVs.