HAIFA, Israel, May 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Elbit Systems
Ltd. (Nasdaq: ESLT and TASE: ESLT) announced today that it was
awarded an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) contract from the Israeli
Ministry of Defense, valued at approximately $50 million. Under the contract, Elbit Systems
will supply the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) with its brand new
Hermes® 900 unmanned systems along with additional Hermes® 450
unmanned systems to expand the IDF's current Hermes® 450 fleet. In
addition, the Company will supply the IDF with an enhancement of
its existing UAS intelligence capabilities. The contract will be
carried out over a three-year period.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080408/300441 )
With enhanced endurance, the Hermes® 900 allows flight altitude
of more than 30,000 ft, large payload capacity and flight
capabilities in adverse weather conditions. The Hermes® 900 is
based on the highly reliable and combat proven Hermes® 450 UAS,
which has accumulated over 170,000 flight hours.
The new Hermes® 900 allows seamless integration with the IDF's
existing Hermes® 450 UAS thanks to its universal command &
control ground station (UGCS), which enables advanced mission
management, automatic taxiing, autonomous flight and automatic
takeoff and landing systems common to all the UAS in the Hermes®
family. These advantages allow all Hermes® 450 operators to
immediately integrate the Hermes® 900 into the existing UAS fleet,
using the current infrastructure.
Joseph Ackerman, President and
CEO of Elbit Systems, commented: "We are proud to have been
selected by the Israeli Ministry of Defense in this UAS project,
attesting to the IDF's high level of satisfaction with the
performance of our UAS. By introducing the Hermes® 900 into our
growing UAS portfolio, we continue to provide the IDF with
effective solutions for its varying operational needs, ranging from
the mini-UAS Skylark® I-LE operated by the Israeli Ground Forces,
through the Hermes® 450 which plays a central role in the IDF's
anti-terror efforts, to our brand new Hermes® 900." Ackerman added,
"The IMOD's recent order furthers our position as a world leader in
the UAS field, and we trust that many customers will follow the
IDF's selection of the Hermes® 900, the newest addition to the
Elbit Systems UAS portfolio."
About Elbit Systems
Elbit Systems Ltd. is an international defense electronics
company engaged in a wide range of 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 ("UAS"), advanced electro-optics, electro-optic space
systems, EW suites, airborne warning systems, ELINT systems, data
links and military communications systems and radios. The Company
also focuses on the upgrading of existing military platforms,
developing new technologies for defense, homeland security and
commercial aviation applications and providing a range of support
services.
For additional information, visit: www.elbitsystems.com.
Contacts:
Company Contact:
Joseph Gaspar, Executive VP & CFO
Dalia Rosen, VP & Head of Corporate
Communications
Elbit Systems Ltd
Tel: +972-4-8316663
Fax: +972-4-8316944
E-mail: j.gaspar@elbitsystems.com
dalia.rosen@elbitsystems.com
|
IR Contact:
Ehud Helft / Kenny Green
CCG Investor Relations
Tel: 1-646-201-9246
E-mail: elbitsystems@ccgisrael.com
|
|
|
|
This press release contains forwardlooking 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. Forwardlooking 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 forwardlooking 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
forwardlooking statements speak only as of the date of this
release. The Company does not undertake to update its
forward-looking statements.
SOURCE Elbit Systems