Vietnam Coast Guard equipped with modern US UAVs
Speaking at the LIMA-2019 Exhibition in Malaysia on March 27, Boeing Corporation announced the sale of ScanEagle drones to Vietnamese customers.
Manufacturer confirmed
This information was personally announced by Mr. Yeong Tae Pak, Boeing's defense sales marketing director in Southeast Asia, when speaking to international media.
"The sale of the ScanEagle UAVs is supported through Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and the recipient will be the Vietnam Coast Guard. This is the first time since the US lifted sanctions that the Vietnam Coast Guard has been allowed to purchase the US's top-of-the-line ScanEagle equipment," Director Yeong Tae Pak revealed.
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| The ScanEagle is operated by the US. |
According to this director, in addition to Vietnam, Boeing has had success with ScanEagle in a number of countries in the region. A 2018 report by Jane's magazine said that Indonesia is negotiating to buy 4 ScanEagle UAVs for the navy.
Meanwhile, the Philippines has purchased and put into operation this type of UAV, while Malaysia ordered an unclear number in 2012 but it is unclear whether it has been fully received yet.
“Maritime security is a top concern in Southeast Asia, so we are starting with ScanEagle in these countries. It is a very effective product for enhancing situational awareness and information gathering and sharing,” Park added.
Currently, Vietnam has not had any official confirmation about the ScanEagle deal with the US Boeing Corporation.
Special abilities
According to Boeing's introduction at LIMA 2019, ScanEagle is designed primarily for reconnaissance, surveillance, reconnaissance, special operations, escort missions... In a ScanEagle system, there are 4 aircraft, a ground control station and an aircraft launch and recovery system.
The reconnaissance equipment is located at the nose of the aircraft, ScanEagle can carry various equipment such as: electro-optical and infrared sensors, chemical and biological detection sensors, high-resolution cameras (Block D variant) and laser target designators.
The conversion of these equipment sets only takes a few minutes. The ScanEagle UAV is small in size, 1.2m long, 3.1m wingspan, maximum take-off weight 18kg, useful payload 6kg.
The aircraft is built with a modular structure that allows for easy replacement of parts (head, body, wings, engine, electronics) when damaged. ScanEagle is equipped with a piston engine with a rear propeller that allows it to reach a maximum speed of 126km/h, a climbing speed of 150m/min, a ceiling of 4,880m and a range of 1,500km (22 hours of continuous operation in the air).
Because the ScanEagle does not have landing gear, it must be launched using a catapult. Recovery uses a specialized net system to catch the ScanEagle in mid-air.
The ground control station can control 8 aircraft at the same time, equipped with modern electronics to fly the aircraft and receive images from sensors on the aircraft in real time.
