Tel Aviv. THOR, a multi-rotor Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) mini Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), manufactured by Elbit Systems 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.

Company was awarded a US$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, as per announcement made on October 6 last year.

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 sea. Electrically propelled, THOR is capable of carrying up to three kg of payloads and has a flight duration capability of up to 75 minutes of operation, a maximal range of 10 kilometers and a flight ceiling of up to 2,000 ft.