Thailand-based Aero Technology Industry Limited (ATIL) is showcasing three different unmanned aerial systems at the ongoing Defence & Security exhibition.
The DP16, DP20 and DP20-A are essentially of Chinese origin but are being configured to meet Thai needs. Speaking to GBP Aerospace & Defence on the sidelines of the show, Group Captain Dr. Nattapol Niyomthai, Director Aero Technology Industry Limited (ATIL) said work on the DP20 had been underway since 2019 and the Royal Thai Army (RTA) would commence its operational evaluation of the type, following which feedback would be provided to ATIL to incorporate changes or improvements. The process would take 1-2 years, he said.
“Thailand’s Defence R&D agency, the Defence Technology Institute (DTI) has 50 people working on UAS programmes and some of these employees have been moved to ATIL. ATIL is planning to increase increasing its strength to 100 employees in the future,” he added.
The DP20 medium altitude long endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial system (UAS) has a wingspan of 13.4m and a maximum take-off weight of 750 kg. It can carry a mission payload of 150kg along with 200kg of fuel. It can attain a maximum speed of 135 knots and a cruising speed of 100 knots. Endurance is claimed as 20 hours and its practical operating ceiling is quoted as 24,500 feet.
The DP20-A is a larger armed drone and work is now underway on the programme in Thailand. Deliveries to the RTA could potentially begin as early as 2026. The DP20-A can undertake intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), border patrol or fire calibration, battlefield assessment targeting and positioning missions. It has four hard points and can carry a max payload 370 kg. At the show, ATIL is showcasing the DP20-A with dual-payload bomb racks that can carry multiple munitions. The DP-20A is normally deployed in a group of four UAVs that are supported by a single ground station.
Dr. Niyomthai told Daily News that the RTA has also expressed initial interest in the smaller DP16. “ATIL is also getting interest from other potential customers in the region,” he added. The DP16 could also be of potential future interest for the RTAF but this requirement is not as urgent as the service presently has sufficient number of UAS to meet its requirements.
The DP16 is a smaller UAV with a 10m wingspan. Dr. Niyomthai said that it was realised from the RTAF’s previous operating experience with UAVs. Larger unmanned systems have a bigger logistics footprint, requiring three vehicles – one for the ground control station to operate the UAS, another for the communications equipment, and one for the transport of the UAS itself. For the smaller DP16, this requirement is reduced to only two vehicles needed to transport the UAS and the ground control station, while the communication equipment is much more portable. The attendant savings in operational and life cycle costs are also evident due to the reduced manpower and logistics requirement.
Speaking on Thai requirements for MALE UAVs, he said similar UAVs in the global market offer an endurance of 16-20 hours, which was found excessive for Thai requirements. He said the Thai armed forces required only around ten hours of operational endurance and more often than not, six hours of operating endurance was found to be sufficient. He also said longer UAS flights required additional crew due to flight duty restrictions as pilots also need to rest for eight hours before flights.
The DP16 tactical combat UAV is capable of conducting ISR combat attack, artillery, fire calibration, battlefield damage assessment, monitoring and patrol missions. It has six hours of endurance with full load. In this configuration, it can travel 700-900 km. When configured in reconnaissance mode with a lighter payload, the drone can stay in the air for 10 hours. The DP16 has a maximum takeoff weight of 360 kg and a max payload of 80 kg. It can attain a max speed of 180 km per hour and a cruising speed of 120 – 150 kmph. The drone can attain a max ceiling of 18,000 feet and cruise at 10,000 – 13,000 feet.
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