The Elbit Systems THOR VTOL mini-UAS has completed environmental qualification tests ahead of delivery of 1,000 units.
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Press Release, Haifa, 16 August 2020: Elbit Systems’ THOR, a multi-rotor Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) mini Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), successfully completed a series of environmental qualification tests ahead of the delivery of more than a thousand of units to an army in Southeast Asia. As announced on October 6, 2019, the Company was awarded a $153 million contract to provide a networked multi-layered UAS array to an army in Southeast Asia, including more than 1,000 THOR VTOL mini-UAS.
The environmental qualification tests measured the operational durability of the THOR VTOL mini-UAS under a range of extreme environmental conditions and its capability to withstand the physical stress requirements under the MIL-STD-810. The tests demonstrated the capability of THOR to maintain operability in temperatures varying from minus 40ºC up to 65ºC , withstand hard gusting rain and rough vibrations, and resist penetration and damage from blowing sand and dust.
The THOR VTOL mini-UAS is designed for surveillance and reconnaissance missions over land and at sea. Electrically propelled, THOR is capable of carrying up to three kilogrammes of payloads and has a flight duration capability of up to 75 minutes of operation, a maximal range of 10 kilometres and a flight ceiling of up to 2,000 ft.