Austrian company Schiebel has won a contract for the production and supply of an undisclosed number of Camcopter S-100 rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the Royal Thai Navy (RTN).
The RTN has selected the Schiebel Camcopter S-100 UAS to provide unmanned ISR capabilities over land and sea. (Schiebel)
“Following an extensive competitive tender process, Schiebel was awarded its first contract with the RTN, which was signed by Schiebel’s CEO Hannes Hecher and Admiral Prachachart Sirisawat, Director General Naval Acquisition Management office of the Royal Thai Navy, and authorised by [the] Commander-in-Chief of Royal Thai Navy Headquarters in Bangkok,” the Vienna-based company said on 4 November.
The UAVs will be deployed in 2020 to the Pak Phanang District of southern Thailand’s Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, as well as “on the RTN frigate fleet to conduct” land- and sea-based ISR operations, said Schiebel, adding that this is the first time the RTN will be using a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial system (UAS) for maritime operations.
The company, which provided no information about the contract value or the number of Camcopter S-100s being acquired, said it has partnered with Bangkok-based firm MoraThai Defence Company Ltd to ensure a smooth transition into service of the UASs and provide commercial offset.
With a maximum take-off weight of 200 kg and a typical payload of 50 kg, the Camcopter S-100 has an endurance of up to six hours and a range of 200 km.
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