Thailand has signed a contract to buy Hermes 900 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) made by Israeli defence electronics company Elbit Systems for 4 billion baht ($107.67 million).
The agreement was signed at the navy’s headquarters in Bangkok by its commander, Admiral Somprasong Nilsamai. Elbit business development manager Nissim Assaf Cohen represented Elbit at the signing.
The Thai Navy did not say in its statement how many drones it would buy, but said a budget had been set to procure the system over four years, between 2022 to 2025.
The Thai navy said the drones would be used to patrol the sea to protect the country’s maritime sovereignty, shipping routes and assist in sea rescue operations.