The new drone is designed to meet the growing challenges of the aerospace and defence industry. The announcement was made on 21 February by Elbit's press office. For more information, please visit https://elbitsystems.com/pr-new/hermes-650-spark-unveiled-elbit-systems-launches-a-new-state-of-the-art-uas/.

Elbit Systems describes the Hermes 650 Spark as a next-generation autonomous and digital UAV designed to meet a variety of operational needs in air, land, maritime missions, homeland security, and civilian applications.

The drone was first unveiled at the Singapore Airshow. Observers have noted that the architecture of the Hermes 650 differs significantly from that of other drones in the family. The drone has the capability to operate from short runways and is equipped with automatic taxiing, takeoff, and landing functions. It has a ceiling of 6.7 kilometres and a speed range of 100 to 222 km/h, allowing for speed adjustment depending on the task at hand. The suspension nodes under the wings could potentially be used to mount missiles and bombs, although the company has not commented on armament.

The Israeli UAV is currently in the development stage and is expected to be ready for mass production in a year's time. Elbit Systems' new vehicle has received a contract from an undisclosed customer, as reported by @yigal_levin.