Iran has reportedly shot down its first Israeli aircraft since the beginning of the conflict, claiming the downing of a Hermes 900 Long-Endurance Tactical UAV over Isfahan Province on the night between Jun. 17 – 18, 2025. Footage released by Iranian state media appears to confirm the incident, showing wreckage that matches the distinctive shape and markings of the Israeli-made drone.
According to the Iranian media, the Hermes crash site is east of Isfahan, a city in central Iran, about 440 kilometers (270 miles) south of Tehran, in a province that is home to several nuclear facilities, where the Israeli Air Force conducted air strikes also in the afternoon on Jun. 17.
The Hermes 900 is an Israeli-made, medium-altitude long-endurance UAV developed for tactical operations. Building on the legacy of the widely used Hermes 450 series, the drone is capable of flying for more than 30 hours and reaching altitudes up to 30,000 feet.
With a wingspan of 15 meters and a maximum takeoff weight of 970 kilograms, the platform supports a payload of up to 300 kilograms. It is primarily employed for reconnaissance, surveillance, and communications relay missions. The Hermes 900 can be equipped with a wide range of payloads, including EO/IR sensors, synthetic aperture radar with ground moving target indication, electronic warfare systems, COMINT/ELINT packages, and hyperspectral sensors.
The loss has also been acknowledged by the Israeli Air Force, which said in a statement on X that the UAV was shot down by a surface-to-air missile.
