Israel becomes the first-ever country to allow drone flights in civilian airspace. The certification was issued to the Hermes Starliner unmanned system by the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority and was manufactured and developed by Elbit Systems, an Israeli defence electronics company. The UAVs will be used for the benefit of agriculture, the environment, public welfare, economic activity and against crime. For safety reasons, international aviation regulations prohibit uncertified aircraft from flying in civilian airspace, limiting the operation of UAVs to unsegregated airspace.
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About the Hermes Starliner unmanned system:
- The Hermes Starliner, which has a wingspan of 17 metres and weighs 1.6 ton, can fly for up to 36 hours at an altitude of about 7,600 metres, and can carry an additional 450 kg of electro-optical, thermal, radar and other payloads.
- It will be able to participate in border security and anti-terror operations, take part in securing mass public events, perform maritime search and rescue, commercial aviation and environmental inspection missions, as well as precision agriculture work.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Israel Capital: Jerusalem;
- Israel Currency: Israeli Shekel;
- Israel President: Isaac Herzog;
- Israel Prime minister: Naftali Bennett.