Article Posted on : - Oct 25, 2010

Hermes 450 UAS fleet. Photo: Elbit Systems

HAIFA (BNS): Thales UK has awarded $70 million to UAS Tactical Systems Ltd. (U-TacS), for a follow-on Urgent Operating Capability (UOR) contract for the UK Armed Forces.

U-TacS is a joint venture between Elbit Systems Ltd. and Thales UK.

Under the contract, the company will provide an Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) support capability to the forces.

The contract will be performed over the next one and a half years and will be managed by Leicester, UK-based U-TacS.

The contract will also support Hermes(R) 450 UAS systems, like previous contracts.

"Hermes(R) 450 continues to make a significant contribution to UK operations, under very demanding circumstances, achieving exceptionally high levels of operational availability," The President and CEO of Elbit Systems, Joseph Ackerman, said.

The company will also provide training for UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) staff in the use and maintenance of the system and the provision of contractor logistic support (CLS) and programme management services.