This defense solution provides nations with a leaner, more accessible form of maritime airpower, bypassing the strategic complexity and multi-billion-dollar expenses associated with acquiring traditional United States-style aircraft carrier fleets.

By Hezy Laing

Israeli defense electronics company Elbit Systems unveiled an innovative maritime concept to convert standard commercial merchant ships and existing naval platforms into modular drone “aircraft” carriers.

This defense solution provides nations with a leaner, more accessible form of maritime airpower, bypassing the strategic complexity and multi-billion-dollar expenses associated with acquiring traditional United States-style aircraft carrier fleets.

The technical foundation of this turnkey conversion kit centers on the Hermes 650 Spark Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS).

Designed as a fixed-wing platform, the Hermes 650 Spark features a powerful front-mounted engine that maximizes power margins and expands its speed envelope.

This engineering enables high-precision short takeoff and landing (STOL) performance, which allows the aircraft to operate safely from the constrained, retrofitted decks of commercial vessels.

Each converted vessel functions as a floating remote aerial base, engineered to house, launch, and recover a tactical wing of nine to twelve Hermes 650 Spark aircraft.

A core advantage of the Elbit architecture is its logistical efficiency.

Because the Hermes 650 Spark integrates advanced satellite communications and diagnostic tools, the host ship does not require a massive, high-cost onboard command-and-control center.

Instead, the drones can be controlled seamlessly from a shore-based ground station or integrated directly into land-based sensor networks.

This design maximizes payload capacities and operational endurance over vast aquatic sectors while lowering overall manpower requirements.

Elbit Systems targets this conversion concept at navies facing regional geopolitical tensions that demand persistent intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike capabilities across immense territories.

Specific focus areas include Japan managing Pacific maritime security, Denmark overseeing vast Arctic expanses around Greenland, and Germany addressing Baltic Sea security challenges.

By repurposing commercial hulls, Elbit Systems introduces a cost-effective alternative that positions itself competitively against rival drone carrier projects, including those developed by Turkish defense manufacturer Baykar.