The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has quietly emerged as one of the leading unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operators in the Asia-Pacific region, ordering and receiving many types of high-end systems in recent years.
Its latest acquisitions include Elbit Systems’ Hermes 900, the winning bidder in a competitive tender designed to meet RTN’s mid-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) drone requirements. It is understood that the $120 million deal includes seven drones as well as one fixed ground control station and two mobile ground control stations (GCS).
On May 24, the United States Navy (USN) handed over a Boeing Insitu RQ-21A drone to RTN. The RQ-21A Blackjack is a tactical-grade UAV designed for maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations with a range of 50 nautical miles (92 km) and an endurance of 16 hours. According to the U.S. Navy, the RQ-21A blackjack will enhance Thailand’s maritime security capabilities in search and rescue operations, drug and human trafficking interception, and improve interoperability between the two navies.
The transfer was funded by the Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Initiative (MSI), with RTN receiving a total of 5 aircraft, 2 ground ground stations, launch and recovery equipment, and resident training in the United States. The program also includes technical advisors who assist RTN in operating and maintaining the system.
In April, RTN awarded Austrian company Schiebel a follow-on contract to purchase an unspecified number of Camcopter S-100 rotorcraft. The drones are expected to be delivered by the end of 2022 and will be used in land-based and sea-based ISR operations.
Schiebel earlier won an initial contract to supply RTN with the S-100 drone in 2019. According to the company, the S-100 has a maximum takeoff weight of 440 pounds (200 kilograms) and typically carries a payload of 110 pounds (50 kilograms). It can operate for up to six hours and has a maximum range of about 108 nanometers (200 kilometers).
This image posted on social media by the Royal Thai Naval Aviation Division (RTNAD) in June 2021 shows the S-100 being operated by Squadron 104, a specialized drone under RTNAD 1 Wing at Pak Phanang near southern Thailand squadron.
by Jr Ng
