Boeing to Collaborate with Elbit Systems on Marketing and Sales of Hermes 450 and 900 Unmanned Airborne Systems

ARNBOROUGH, United Kingdom, July 10, 2012 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and Elbit Systems [NASDAQ and TASE: ESLT] today at the Farnborough Airshow signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on the marketing and sales of Elbit Systems' Hermes 450 and 900 unmanned airborne system (UAS) product lines in the United States and select international countries.

"This partnership further expands and enhances Boeing's longstanding relationship with Elbit Systems to include unmanned products," said Debbie Rub, Boeing Missiles and Unmanned Airborne Systems vice president and general manager. "The Hermes product line provides a medium-altitude, long-endurance capability that complements the Boeing unmanned portfolio while addressing an important need for U.S. warfighters and allies on today's ever-changing battlefields."

"We are proud to collaborate with Boeing in this important and fast-growing area," said Elad Aharonson, Elbit Systems UAS division general manager. "Hermes 450 and Hermes 900 UAS provide significant and proven operational capabilities and provide added value to our customers."

A multi-role, high-performance tactical UAS and the primary platform of the Israeli Defense Forces in counter-terror operations, Hermes 450 is a mature and combat-proven UAS with more than 400,000 operational flight hours. The Hermes 900 features over-the-horizon, persistent multi-mission, multi-payload capabilities and can perform missions for area dominance and for persistent intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR). Hermes 900 also can perform ground support and maritime patrol missions, and offers the capability for integrated multi-platform, multi-sensor operation. Based on the heritage of the Hermes 450 UAS, the Hermes 900 employs identical building blocks using a larger air vehicle with nearly double the performance.

Elbit Systems is an international defense electronics company engaged in a wide range of programs throughout the world. The company, which includes Elbit Systems and its subsidiaries, operates in the areas of aerospace, land and naval systems; command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR); unmanned aircraft systems; advanced electro-optics; electro-optic space systems; electronic warfare suites; airborne warning systems; ELINT systems; data links and military communications systems and radios. The company also focuses on the upgrading of existing military platforms, developing new technologies for defense, homeland security and commercial aviation applications, and providing a range of support services.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $32 billion business with 61,000 employees worldwide. Follow us on Twitter: @BoeingDefense.