Illustrative Image: Israeli Hermes-450 UAVs operating over Beirut, each armed with two missiles
On September 15th, Hezbollah reported that its fighters shot down an Israeli Hermes 450 reconnaissance UAV. The UAV was shot down over southern Lebanon after it violated the country’s airspace.
Presumably, the strike was carried out by an Iranian-made anti-aircraft missile known as Product 358.
The Hermes 450 drone, which is made by Israel’s Elbit company, has an endurance of over 20 hours. Its primary mission is reconnaissance, surveillance and communications relay. However, it can also carry up to four missiles for offensive operations.
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This is not the first Israeli medium altitude long endurance UAV to be shot down in Lebanon during the ongoing escalation. Earlier in April, Hezbollah fighters managed to shoot down an advanced Hermes 900 Israeli drone over Lebanese territory. With a wingspan of 15 meters, Hermes 900 is the second-largest reconnaissance drone in the Israeli air force. It was designed by Israel’s Elbit to carry out reconnaissance, surveillance, communications relay and attack missions. A single drone of this model could cost more than $80 millions. LINK
