JR Ng
AIR POWER
The Republic of Singapore Air Force is using the Israeli-made Heron-1 UAV for airborne sensing, tactical surveillance and targeting.
development programme with state-owned aerospace company PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI). It revealed its armed reconnaissance Elang Hitam (Black Eagle) UAV prototype to the public at its Bandung headquarters on 30 December 2020. According to PTDI’s specifications, the Black Eagle UAV has a wingspan of 52.5ft (16m), a length of 28ft (8.65m), and a 8.5ft (2.6m)-high fuselage. PTDI also states that the Black Eagle has a MTOW of 2,866lb (1,300kg) and can carry up to 926lb (420kg) of fuel. It will be equipped with a 4-stroke engine that produces up to 150hp, which the company hopes will enable it to attain an operational ceiling of 23,600ft (7,200m). The fully loaded air vehicle – carrying up to 660lb (300kg) of mission equipment and/ or weapons – will have a 135nm (250km)
command radius and will be capable of taking off from a 2,300ft (700m) long runway and staying aloft for up to 30 hours when operating at cruise speeds. The Black Eagle is being developed by a local consortium led by PTDI and comprising the MoD and TNI-AU, the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN), and other state-owned firms, including defence electronics developer PT Len. The consortium also plans to install wingmounted hardpoints to accommodate various external payloads, including weapons, by 2023. Local media has reported that a possible candidate for weapon integration could be PTDI's 70mm folding-fin aerial rocket (FFAR) system, which comprises four conventional
unguided rockets each equipped with a single solid-propellant motor and fitted with four flip-out tailfins to improve ballistic stability. Besides Indonesia, other Southeast Asian operators or MALE-class UAVs include Singapore and the Philippines. The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) took delivery of an undisclosed number of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron 1 UAVs. The service introduced the type in May 2012 and declared it fully operations in March 2017. These are operated by 119 and 128 Squadron and is considered the service’s primary unmanned airborne intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) platform. In October 2019, the existence of an upgraded RSAF Heron 1 UAV featuring a bulged belly pod housing an unknown payload – likely a SAR system – was inadvertently leaked by a local news agency covering an overseas exercise in the United States. The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has also opted for an Israeli-made platform with the Elbit Systems Hermes 900. The type is the first MALE-class UAV platform to be acquired by the Philippines, featuring a MTOW of approximately 2,650lb (1,200kg) and a 50ft (15m) wingspan. Nine of these air vehicles were acquired under a $153 million package announced in October 2019, and are believed to have been delivered by the end of 2020.
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