Israeli firm wants to convert commercial ships into floating drone bases

JERUSALEM — Elbit Systems detailed a new maritime concept centered on its Hermes 650 Spark unmanned aircraft, envisioning the conversion of commercial vessels into dedicated platforms for unmanned aviation, the Israeli company said this week.

Each platform would carry between nine and 12 Hermes 650 Spark aircraft along with the deck infrastructure, control systems and mission support needed to operate them. Elbit described the approach as an alternative to acquiring a traditional aircraft carrier, aimed at giving naval forces extended maritime reach without the associated cost and complexity.

The Hermes 650 Spark is built around a front-mounted engine that provides a wider speed envelope and additional power margin, supporting short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability, heavier payloads and longer missions. The aircraft carries two payload bays, satellite communications and diagnostic systems, the Israeli company notes.

Elbit says the aircraft is built for compatibility with the ground control infrastructure of its larger Hermes 900 drone, meaning the smaller 650 Spark would be managed as part of a combined array with the Hermes 900 from a land-based control system. In such a setup, ships would serve as remote launch and recovery sites. According to the company, the arrangement is intended to reduce manpower requirements and the number of control stations needed, the company said.

The Israeli defense company cited Japan’s expansive maritime geography, Denmark’s responsibilities around Greenland, and Germany’s security environment in the Baltic Sea as examples of the kind of large, distant maritime areas the concept is meant to address. For Israel, a maritime UAS-carrier concept holds appeal given Israel’s encompassing offshore gas platforms that sit dozens of kilometers from shore and require monitoring against both conventional threats and drone and missile attacks from Iran and its proxies.

A converted vessel carrying multiple long-endurance UAS could extend early-warning coverage over these installations and fit Israel’s broader doctrinal preference for cost-effective, unmanned-heavy solutions over large manned platforms.

The company did not specify a timeline for when the system would become operational, nor did it name any customers or governments that have expressed interest in the idea.

Elbit’s announcement seeks to position the company as a player in this segment mainly against Turkey’s Baykar and South Korea’s Hanwha and can be interpreted as an attempt to export an existing system, the Hermes 650, in new operational packaging.

Tzally Greenberg is the Israel correspondent for Defense News. He has experience reporting on economic affairs as well as defense and cyber companies.

耶路撒冷——以色列埃尔比特系统公司本周表示，该公司详细介绍了一种以 Hermes 650 Spark 无人机为中心的新海上概念，设想将商船改装成专用的无人航空平台。

每个平台将搭载9至12架赫尔墨斯650“火花”飞机，以及操作这些飞机所需的甲板基础设施、控制系统和任务支持。埃尔比特公司称，这种方案是建造传统航空母舰的替代方案，旨在以较低的成本和复杂的操作，赋予海军部队更广阔的海上作战能力。

Hermes 650 Spark 采用前置发动机设计，可提供更宽广的​​速度范围和更大的动力裕度，从而支持短距起降 (STOL) 能力、更重的有效载荷和更长的飞行任务。这家以色列公司指出，该飞机配备两个有效载荷舱、卫星通信和诊断系统。

埃尔比特公司表示，这款飞机的设计旨在与公司更大的 Hermes 900 无人机的地面控制基础设施兼容，这意味着较小的 650 Spark 将与 Hermes 900 组成联合阵列，并通过陆基控制系统进行管理。在这种配置下，船舶将作为远程发射和回收点。该公司称，此举旨在减少人力需求和所需的控制站数量。

这家以色列国防公司列举了日本广袤的海域、丹麦在格陵兰岛周边的责任以及德国在波罗的海的安全环境，以此为例说明该概念旨在应对的正是这类广阔而遥远的海域。对于以色列而言，海上无人机载具概念极具吸引力，因为以色列拥有众多位于距海岸数十公里的海上天然气平台，这些平台需要监控，以防范来自伊朗及其代理人的常规威胁以及无人机和导弹袭击。

改装后的船只搭载多架长航时无人机，可以扩大对这些设施的预警覆盖范围，符合以色列更广泛的理论偏好，即采用成本效益高、以无人系统为主的解决方案，而不是大型有人平台。

该公司没有具体说明该系统何时投入运营，也没有透露有哪些客户或政府对这个想法表示了兴趣。

Elbit 的声明旨在将公司定位为该领域的参与者，主要与土耳其的 Baykar 和韩国的韩华竞争，也可以被解读为试图以新的运营包装出口现有系统 Hermes 650。

扎利·格林伯格是《防务新闻》的以色列记者。他拥有丰富的经济事务以及国防和网络安全公司报道经验。