The Royal Thai Navy has signed a contract to procure Israeli-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) worth over four billion baht.
Vice Adm Pokkrong Monthatphalin, navy blue spokesman, said the navy had selected seven Hermes nine hundred UAVs from Elbit Systems, an international defence electronics firm located in Israel. The company offered a non-tariff price of US$120 million or about 4 billion baht.
The agreement was jointly signed by commander-in-chief Adm Somprasong Nilsamai and Nissim Assaf Cohen, director of Elbit Systems’ Business Development and Marketing, at the Royal Thai Naval Institute in Bangkok on Wednesday.
The Hermes 900 UAV boasts a range of high-performance detectors, allowing it to detect surface or maritime targets over a wide spectral range. It can be operated for up to 36 hrs and the service roof is 9, 144 metres.
The UAVs are also equipped with defence technology applicable for potential attack missions. Additionally , the UAVs can help assist victims with sea.
The UAVs will be sent to each navy blue region with a budget of 4 billion baht for four years until 2025. The system has been introduced in more than ten countries including Israel, Chile, Mexico, Columbia, Brazil, Switzerland, Europe, the Philippines, Iceland, Greece and Singapore, as well as the United Nations.