Page 16 - ADT JANUARY 2021 Online Magazine

lease of the unarmed systems was made possible by a new defence 180 km/h and can also fly as fast as 235 km/h.
ministry initiative that allows the three services to take military Designed to conduct short distance take-offs
equipment, including drones, helicopters, transport aircraft and and landings within 700 meters of runway, the
simulators, on lease. The Ministry of Defence is also currently Black Eagle, which looks similar to the CH-4 or
negotiating with IAI to arm the existing fleet of Heron drones with the MQ-9 Reaper, will be able to carry payloads
air to surface missile and laser guided bombs. up to 300 kg and stay in flight for up to 30
hours. The mass production of the Elang Hitam
Indigenous Production UAV was initially scheduled for 2024, but the
Even as it acquires drones from international companies, India is country has had a change of plans. According [ UNMANNED SYSTEMS ]
also making progress in its efforts to produce indigenous UAVs to the revised schedule, the drone will enter
In October 2020, a little over a year after the aircraft crashed mass production as early as in 2022.
during tests in Chitradurga, Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) conducted successful flight tests of Rustom-2 Another country that is working to induct an
reconnaissance drone. The MALE prototype drone will continue indigenously made military drone into its fleet
to undergo test and user trials before being inducted by the three is Taiwan. The country has made considerable
services. Rustom 2, which is one in the Rustom line of UAVs that progress on the development of "Teng Yun"
includes Rustom-I, Rustom-H and Rustom-C, has an endurance of (Cloud Rider) MALE UAV, military officials
24 hours and can carry payloads of up to 350kg. told local media in August last year. Bearing a
close resemblance to MQ-1 Predator, the pro-
totype of the drone was unveiled in 2015. The
National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and
Technology (NCSIST) is currently working on
an improved model. Even as it continues with
the development of the UAV, Taiwan will expand
its UAV fleet. In November, the Trump adminis-
tration approved a US$600 million deal to sell
armed MQ-9B RPAS and related equipment to
the country. The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF)
does not currently operate any armed UAVs,
but Thailand is working on developing an armed
drone. In 2019, Thai company RV Connex exhib-
ited its Sky Scout-X UAV fitted with Thales
Freefall Lightweight Multirole Missiles (FFLMM)
under its wings.

Acquisition Programmes
India’s focus on acquiring armed military drones
comes in the backdrop of two hostile neighbors
cozying up to each other. Reports indicate that
China has supplied 50 Wing Loong II armed
drones and CH-4 MALE UAVs to Pakistan.
Pakistan also has “Project Azm,” under which it
is developing a MALE UAV, munitions as well as a
fifth-generation fighter. The development of the
UAV seems to be progressing smoothly; at the
Dubai Airshow in 2019, Pakistan Aeronautical
Complex shoed illustration of the drone as well
as photos of its test launch.

Eager to bolster its maritime surveillance capa-
bilities, the Royal Malaysian Air Force plans to
Indonesia is currently working on the Elang Hitam (Black Eagle) a add four maritime patrol aircraft and six MALE
multi-mission MALE UAV. State-owned PT Dirgantara Indonesia UAS. In August 2020, the country issued ten-
(PTDI) has designed the airframe while state-owned PT Len will ders for three MALE UAVS, ground-based
build the military equipment. According to specifications released radars and two Maritime Patrol Aircraft. Among
by PTDI, the prototype Black Eagle UAV features a 16 m wingspan the companies interested in the drones acqui-
with an 8.65 m long and 2.6 m high fuselage. The drone, which has a sition program are GA-ASI, with its MQ-9B,
maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 1,300 kg, can carry up to 420 Leonardo with the Falco, Aviation Industry
kg of fuel. It has a desired cruise speed of between 50 km/h and Corporation of China with its Wing Loong family

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