Chile purchases UAV from Israel for border control of contraband and drugs

Chile confirmed it had purchased Israeli manufactured Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) which will be used for border surveying to control contraband and drugs.

Defence minister Andres Allemand said that he had met with representatives from Elbit Systems during his recent visit to Israel and Norway.

“Yes, I met with them, they made a presentation, but these things are normal in friendly countries such as Norway and Israel”, said Allemand.

Asked if they were to be displayed in the northern frontier with Bolivia and Peru, the minister said that “the UAV won’t be operational for at least two years”.

The Elbit Systems Hermes 900 is an Israeli medium size multi-payload unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed for medium altitude long endurance (MALE) tactical missions. It has an endurance of over 30 hours, can fly at a maximum altitude of 30,000 feet, with a primary mission of reconnaissance,surveillance and communications relay. The Hermes 900 has a wingspan of 15 m and weighs 970 kg, with a payload capability of 300 kg.