Thailand orders new Insitu RQ-21 Blackjack tactical UAVs from US

 

The RQ-11 Blackjack tactical UAV, this example with the US Marine Corps. Photo c/o Marine Corps Times.

The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has ordered the Insitu RQ-21 Blackjack tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which are expected to arrive in 2021.

This was confirmed by the Joint US Military Advisory Group – Thailand (JUSMAG-T) in their social media page, as the RTN selects its personnel to undergo a training program with the system in the United States.

The RTN will be come the first user of the RQ-21 Blackjack UAV in Asia, which is only operated by the US Navy and US Marine Corps, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Netherlands Army, and the Polish Land Forces.

The RQ-21 Blackjack will be operated alongside the existing UAVs of the RTN, the Aeronautics Defense Orbiter 3B small tactical UAV and Schiebel S-100 Camcopter.

The RQ-21 Blackjack is a larger UAV compared to its more widely used stablemate, the ScanEagle series. It uses the same launching and recovery system as the ScanEagle, which makes it ideal for operation about small ships.

The RQ-21 Blackjack is powered by an 80hp engine, allowing cruising speed of 55 knots and a  maximum speed of around 90 knots, and a range of 50 nautical miles. It has an endurance of around 16 hours and a maximum flight ceiling of 19,500 feet.



[1] JUSMAG Thailand
[2] AAG Thai Defense Page