Elbit Systems proposes turnkey kit to convert merchant ships into drone carriers

Elbit Systems has unveiled a concept to convert standard commercial merchant ships into modular carriers that can launch and retrieve its Hermes 650 Spark fixed-wing unmanned aircraft, New Atlas reported. The Israeli defense firm describes a turnkey package that would turn commercial vessels into drone hubs able to manage nine to 12 Hermes 650 Spark platforms. The aircraft has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,433 lb (650 kg) and uses a front-mounted engine that, according to the report, provides high power margins and a wide speed envelope for short takeoff and landing performance from a ship deck. Unlike historical escort carriers, which housed extensive command facilities, the modern concept relies on advanced satellite communications so the aircraft would be controlled from a shore-based ground station rather than a large shipboard command-and-control center. New Atlas framed the idea against World War II escort carriers, when commercial cargo ships and tankers were converted with flight decks to protect convoys, and against a broader military shift toward hybrid conventional and unmanned forces that may need to deploy fixed-wing drones in large numbers.