The Elbit Hermes 900 operated from WWA in September, the first time it had flown in UK airspace. It was brought to the airport to conduct a search and rescue demonstration for the UK Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA).
As part of a successful 14-day trial, the unmanned aircraft flew from WWA all the way to the south of Ireland. Once there, it carried out a simulated search before returning to the airport. During the flight, invited guests were able to monitor all the returning data on screen. The MCA were impressed with its performance and are now assessing Hermes for possible inclusion in future UK Search and Rescue contracts.
Whilst still at the airport the system also carried out successful demonstrations for the National Police Air Service (NPAS).
