Serbia has signed an agreement with the Israeli company Elbit Systems to acquire the PULS rocket launcher and unmanned aircraft (UAS) Hermes 900 system. The total value of the contract is around 321 million euros.
The Israeli company, following its usual policy in this type of operation, announced the purchase last November without revealing the specific identity of the customer. The only clue he gave was that the buyer was European. Recently, Serbian media have confirmed that Serbia would be the final destination for these defence systems.
Serbian President Leksandar Vučić said: “I want to inform you that, after insistent negotiations, we have signed an agreement to buy the most powerful artillery systems in the world. We have also purchased some of the most sophisticated drones in the world.” The quote has been picked up by the Israeli media Haaretz.
As Elbit Systems advanced in November, the purchase contracts for the PULS and Hermes 900 drones will run over a period of three years and six months.
The PULS system can launch unguided rockets, precision-guided munitions and missiles with an effective range of up to 300 km. “It can also support future growth capabilities, such as the ability to launch loitering munitions,” according to the manufacturer.
As for the Hermes 900 multirole MALE UAS, it is Elbit Systems’ largest unmanned aerial vehicle, designed to perform a wide range of missions, among which the company cites “area domain and persistent intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) in land and sea domains”. This aircraft has already been acquired, since its first order in 2011, by more than twenty customers.