Elbit's Hermes 900 Kochav is an Israeli medium-altitude long-endurance UAV family with 36-hour endurance, a 350 kg baseline payload, and modular ISR, electronic-intelligence, communications-relay, maritime-patrol, and wide-area surveillance payload options. First flown in 2009, it entered Israeli combat use during the 2014 Gaza War and has since appeared in Azerbaijani and Israeli conflict documentation, while the StarLiner branch adds civil-airspace certification and heavier payload capacity for non-segregated airspace missions.
During the 2025 Israel-Iran Conflict, Israeli Hermes 900 activity was documented by reporting on the system's role finding Iranian missile launchers and by OSMP imagery of a Mikholit loadout recovered from a downed Hermes 900 in Iran.
Role detailsIn the 2023 Israel-Hezbollah Conflict, the IDF used the Hermes 900 for surveillance and attack missions over southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah said it shot down one of the drones.
In the 2023 Israel-Hamas War, the IDF used the Hermes 900 for attack and surveillance missions in the Gaza Strip.
Role detailsAzerbaijan fielded Hermes 900 UAVs during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict as part of its Israeli-supplied reconnaissance drone fleet used for surveillance, target designation, and artillery fire control.
During the 2014 Gaza War, Globes reported that the Hermes 900 made its combat debut over Gaza in the final days of Operation Protective Edge after Israel accelerated the type into service.
The Hermes 900 record splits between a military MALE UAV baseline and StarLiner civil-airspace derivatives. Elbit's baseline page emphasizes persistent multi-payload operation, while its StarLiner material adds certification and safety features for non-segregated airspace.
ISR, target acquisition, maritime patrol, communications relay, electronic intelligence, electronic warfare, and wide-area surveillance payloads.
Sources: Elbit Hermes 900; Elbit Systems Receives Order for the 120th Hermes 900 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.
1,180 kg takeoff weight, 350 kg payload, up to 36 hours endurance, and 30,000 ft service ceiling in Elbit's product data.
Source: Elbit Hermes 900.
Elbit describes StarLiner as a Hermes 900 derivative with STANAG 4671 compliance, 1,600 kg maximum takeoff weight, and 450 kg payload capacity.
Sources: Hermes™ StarLiner - Elbit Systems; Elbit Hermes 900 StarLiner interview.
Public sources place the Hermes 900 in Elbit's wider Hermes UAV family, with the core military Hermes 900/Kochav separated from heavy-fuel and civil-airspace StarLiner configurations.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Smaller Hermes-family predecessor | Defense Update described the Hermes 900 as a larger platform building on Hermes 450 operating infrastructure and service experience. |
| Hermes 900 Kochav | Israeli Air Force service name | The Israeli Air Force uses Kochav, meaning The Star, for the Hermes 900 family in service. Sources: A "Star" In the Sky: The "Hermes 900" Is Operational, The Israeli Air Force |
| Hermes 900 HFE | Heavy-fuel-engine export configuration | Elbit describes the StarLiner heavy-fuel-engine branch as improving climb, endurance, ceiling, and speed for the civil-airspace-capable configuration path. Sources: Hermes™ StarLiner - Elbit Systems |
| Hermes 900 StarLiner | Civil-airspace-capable derivative | Elbit markets StarLiner as a Hermes 900 derivative compliant with STANAG 4671 requirements for non-segregated airspace, with 1,600 kg maximum takeoff weight and 450 kg payload capacity. Sources: Hermes™ StarLiner - Elbit Systems |
The Hermes 900 shares operating lineage and infrastructure context with Elbit's smaller Hermes 450 family.
| Compatible item | Item type | Compatibility evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Smaller Hermes-family UAV | Defense Update reported that Hermes 900 could operate within tactical UAV units already using smaller Hermes 450 and Hermes 90 systems, extending endurance and payload without entirely separate infrastructure. |
Open-source imagery ties the Hermes 900 to a documented Mikholit loadout in Iran.
| Carried item | Item type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Glide bomb | OSMP documented a Mikholit ejected from a downed Hermes 900 in Iran, with two pods each carrying four bombs. |
Defense Update reported the Hermes 900's first flight on 9 December 2009.
Sources: First Flight of the Elbit Systems Hermes 900 UAV
AIN reported the first export sale of the Hermes 900 to a Latin American customer, matching Elbit's later statement that the family received its first order in 2011.
Sources: AIN Chile first export success for Hermes 900, Elbit Hermes 900 StarLiner interview
The Israeli Air Force described the Hermes 900 as operational and linked it to the Kochav name.
Sources: A "Star" In the Sky: The "Hermes 900" Is Operational
Globes reported that the Hermes 900 made its combat debut over Gaza during Operation Protective Edge.
Sources: Globes Hermes 900 combat debut over Gaza
The IAF said the Hermes 900 would be operational once again after earlier operational use and squadron introduction.
Sources: The IAF's new UAV: The "Hermes 900" is operational once again
Elbit said it had received an order for the 120th Hermes 900 UAV.
Sources: Elbit Systems Receives Order for the 120th Hermes 900 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Elbit described StarLiner as a civil-airspace-certified Hermes 900 derivative with STANAG 4671 compliance, 450 kg payload capacity, and safety features for non-segregated airspace.
Sources: Elbit Hermes 900 StarLiner interview
OSMP documented a Mikholit ejected from a downed Israeli Hermes 900 in Iran, tying the platform to a visible carried-munition loadout during the 2025 Israel-Iran Conflict.
Sources: OSMP1428 Hermes 900 Mikholit recovery
