FORT WORTH, Texas, August 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Elbit Systems of America, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems Ltd,
along with its local partners, hosted an Unmanned Aircraft Systems
(UAS) field day today, August 22, at
the Hillsboro Regional Airport to highlight its recent
HERMES® 450 flights over North
Dakota. The event welcomed Lt. Governor Drew Wrigley, who served as Master of
Ceremonies. Also attending were U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D. and U.S. Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.
"North Dakota has been called
the 'Silicon Valley of Drones' and it is our honor to bring the
Hermes 450 to Traill County," said
Elbit Systems of America President
and Chief Executive Officer Raanan
Horowitz. "Leveraging the experience of our parent company
with the commercial insights of our partners, we bring advanced
technology to the farmland, demonstrating effective approaches for
data collection."
Equipped with advanced sensors and high resolution cameras, such
as the Vision Map A3 Edge and the Elbit Systems Compass EO/IR real
time sensor, the Hermes 450 is capable of covering 40,000 acres in
one hour and can remain in flight for 17 hours.
Elbit Systems of America, a US company headquartered in
Fort Worth, Texas, has been
operating from the Hillsboro Regional Airport for the last four
months where it has flown multiple precision agriculture flights.
In collaboration with North Dakota State
University and the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, Elbit
Systems of America has worked with select local farmers to gather
and analyze data for crop management improvement, increasing
efficiency, and greater yield.
"Imagery from the Hermes 450 can help farmers understand and
monitor changes in field variability throughout the season," stated
Sarah Lovas, Lovas Farms. "This
knowledge can help us better focus our crop scouting efforts and
our in-season fertilizer applications, which can save of us time
and make our applications more efficient."
Beyond precision agriculture, Elbit Systems of America is
partnering with Xcel Energy, the University North Dakota, and
others to use the large scale UAS in assessing damage to utility
infrastructure following storms, tornadoes, and other natural
disasters. The Xcel Energy project began in July 2016 and will continue for one year with the
goal of reducing utility down time while increasing safety and
efficiency.
"In a natural disaster, drone technology will provide valuable
damage assessment data to help Xcel Energy mobilize crews,
materials and equipment to speed recovery efforts," said
Michael Lamb, vice president, Xcel
Energy operating services and & enterprise transformation
office. "We're pleased to work with Elbit Systems and other
partners using technology that improves energy reliability and
safety for our customers and employees."
Precision agriculture and power line assessment are just two of
the commercial markets Elbit Systems of America is exploring. The
HERMES 450® can also support the assessment of
railroads, oil and gas lines, geology studies, and natural
disasters.
About Elbit Systems of America, LLC
Elbit Systems of America is a leading provider of high
performance products, system solutions, and support services
focusing on the commercial aviation, defense, homeland security,
cyber security, and medical instrumentation markets. With
facilities throughout the United States, Elbit Systems of
America is dedicated to supporting those who contribute daily to
the safety and security of the United States. Elbit Systems
of America, LLC is wholly owned by Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ and
TASE: ESLT), a global electronics company engaged in a wide range
of programs for innovative defense and
commercial applications. For additional information, visit:
http://www.elbitsystems-us.com or follow us on Twitter.
About Elbit Systems
Elbit Systems Ltd. is an international high technology company
engaged in a wide range of defense, homeland security and
commercial programs throughout the world. The Company, which
includes Elbit Systems and its subsidiaries, operates in the areas
of aerospace, land and naval systems, command, control,
communications, computers, intelligence surveillance and
reconnaissance ("C4ISR"), unmanned aircraft systems, advanced
electro-optics, electro-optic space systems, EW suites, signal
intelligence systems, data links and communications systems, radios
and cyber-based systems. The Company also focuses on the
upgrading of existing platforms, developing new technologies for
defense, homeland security and commercial applications and
providing a range of support services, including training and
simulation systems.
For additional information, visit: http://www.elbitsystems.com
or follow us on Twitter.
Trademarks
Elbit Systems of America and other trademarks, service marks and
logos are registered or unregistered marks of Elbit Systems of
America companies in the United
States and in foreign countries. Copyright © 2016 Elbit
Systems of America. All rights reserved.
Forward Looking Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements (within
the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended) regarding Elbit Systems Ltd. and/or its subsidiaries
(collectively the Company), to the extent such statements do not
relate to historical or current fact. Forward-looking
statements are based on management's expectations, estimates,
projections and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are
made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These
statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve
certain risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict.
Therefore, actual future results, performance and trends may
differ materially from these forward-looking statements due to a
variety of factors, including, without limitation: scope and length
of customer contracts; governmental regulations and approvals;
changes in governmental budgeting priorities; general market,
political and economic conditions in the countries in which the
Company operates or sells, including Israel and the
United States among others; differences in anticipated and
actual program performance, including the ability to perform under
long-term fixed-price contracts; and the outcome of legal and/or
regulatory proceedings. The factors listed above are not
all-inclusive, and further information is contained in Elbit
Systems Ltd.'s latest annual report on Form 20-F, which is on file
with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All
forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this
release. The Company does not undertake to update its
forward-looking statements.
Contact: Shari Clarkson | +1-682-286-2363 |
sharon.clarkson@elbitsystems-us.com
SOURCE Elbit Systems of America