Tel Aviv: On September 19, 2025, the Swiss Federal Office for Armament handed over the third of a total of six Reconnaissance Drone Systems 15 (ADS 15) to the Swiss Air Force for operation. The ASD 15 is the Swiss version of the Elbit Systems Hermes 900 UAV.
By the end of 2026, all six ADS 15 should be available to the Air Force for operation and maintenance. This will enable the Air Force to gradually implement operationalisation and thus close a capability gap in airborne intelligence gathering.
According to the Swiss defence ministry, the ADS 15 can make a significant contribution across the entire performance profile of the Armed Forces, including reconnaissance of troops, locations or areas without troops. Upon request, the system is also available to support civil authorities such as rescue services and cantonal command staff, as well as the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS), the Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) and the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol).
The ADS 15 can also make an immediate and continuous contribution to the detection and monitoring of potential damage sites in the event of natural disasters.
According to the Swiss defence ministry, the ADS 15 will make a significant contribution to strengthening Switzerland’s defence capabilities. ADS 15 has demonstrated its capabilities in tactical use.
In the current testing phase of the project, the Air Force and Artillery successfully demonstrated the broad range of applications of the ADS 15 during the ‘COMBINED ARMS 25’ exercise at the beginning of September 2025.
During the exercise at the Bière military training area, artillery fire was directed using the ADS 15. The fire control officer was located at Emmen Military Airfield and used a drone flying unaccompanied over the Bière military training area to direct the fire precisely over a long distance and within a short time.
The Swiss ADS 15 is an unmanned and unarmed reconnaissance drone system used by the Swiss Armed Forces, officially based on the Israeli Elbit Systems Hermes 900 UAV. Six drones were ordered from Israel to replace the previous Ranger ADS 95 system, with deliveries delayed due to technical and certification issues, pushing operational deployment later than planned.
The drone is approximately 9 metres long with a wingspan of 17 metres.
Intended for situation and target intelligence, including surveillance, search-and-rescue operations, natural disaster assessment, and border monitoring.
The Israeli designed UAV provides extended airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) for the military and may be used for civilian crisis management by police, border guards, or rescue teams.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
