Span 50 cm / 19.7 in
Weight 10 g / 0.35 oz
The Elbit Systems 900 Kokhav is a medium sized UAV introduced in 2012 and operated by the Air Forces of Israel, the Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Canada, India, Iceland, Azerbaijan, Switzerland and the European Union. Its span measures 15 m (49 ft 3 in), its length 8.3 m (27 ft 3 in), gross weight is 1100 kg (2,425 Ib) and powerplant consists of one Rotax 916 (210 hp). Endurance is one and a half days.
The Kokhav (Star in Hebrew) is a reconnaissance, surveillance and tactical drone which can also be armed with rockets.
Building the balsa sheet chuck glider Elbit Hermes 900 Kokhav.
Materials:
Fuselage: B 2; fuselage side stiffeners: B 0.8 or B 1; Wings: B 1 or 1.5; empennage: B 0.8 or B 1; ballast: steel or lead 1.5 grams.
Assembly:
Cut out balsa parts in accordance to plan. Sand well. Transfer outlines of rudders, elevators, flaps etc. from paper to wood with pen. Cut slots for wing and empennage (photo).
Wing:
Fix one wing half on building board; set and cement other half at given dihedral (photo); linen/cotton band should later be cemented on the joining area on top and bottom of both wing halves. Let thoroughly dry.
Fuselage:
Strengthen chin radar dome on both sides with some extra cement. Let dry. Bring both side stiffeners into their position. Fix one with needles and cement at an angle of 90°. Let dry.
Now repeat this step on the other side after having again fixed fuselage on building board (photo).
Empennage:
Cement V-tail halves one to the other observing the given angle (photo). A self-made template from balsa will turn out helpful for this step.
Final Assembly:
Cement wing into slot in fuselage assuring that absolute symmetry is obtained. Repeat procedure with empennage. Measure and check better twice than once. Let dry.
Use small piece of lead or scrap metal as ballast.
Remember correct center of gravity (CG) is essential for successful flights.
!שיהיו טיסות נעימות (passez des vols agréables!)
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