Thailand selects S-100 Camcopter VTOL UAV for naval use
The Schiebel S-100 Camcopter. Photo c/o Armada International. |
The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has selected Austrian aviation company Schiebel Aircraft GmbH to possibly supply their S-100 Camcopter vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle system.
A notice made by the RTN’s procurement office mentioned that Schiebel Aircraft was selected under a THB266.6 million (US$8.7 million) deal for one Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.
Once delivered, the S-100 can be operated from ships with limited flight deck space, giving ships a bigger view of its surroundings and improving its surveillance capabilities. The S-100 can also be used to assist in targeting for long range anti-ship missiles launched from the host ship.
The S-100 has a range of up to 200 kilometers, can operate day and night and under adverse weather conditions, and can be operated automatically via pre-programmed GPS waypoints, or manually using a pilot control unit.
The acquisition may only be a test-buy to see how the S-100 will perform with the RTN. Once proven to be valuable, it is expected that the RTN would order more units.
[1] AAG_Th Thai Defense Page
[2] Schiebel
Thailand selects S-100 Camcopter VTOL UAV for naval use
Reviewed by Asia Pacific Defense Journal
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October 07, 2019
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