Boeing subsidiary Insitu was awarded a $48 million contract for 34 ScanEagle unmanned air vehicles for Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam, according to a U.S. Department of Defense contract announcement issued on May 31, 2019.
The contract states that 12 UAVs are meant for the RMN. Funded by the United States, the ScanEagles are to be delivered by 2022 for a price of $19,329,334. In addition, this order provides for spare payloads, spare and repair parts, support equipment, tools, training, technical services, and field service representatives.
Those were donated by the United States under the Maritime Security Initiative (MSI) programme.
” These UAVs will enhance the Royal Malaysian Navy’s ability to defend the country’s territorial integrity. For more than 60 years, the U.S. and Malaysia have shared a productive, mutually beneficial security cooperation partnership. We continue to do so now during these challenging times and we look forward to working together in the future.”
U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
About ScanEagle:
The ScanEagle is a small, long-endurance, low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed by Boeign Institu. It provides a wide range of missions, including: Search and Rescue, Disaster Response, Force Protection, Target Following, Battle Damage Assessment, Pattern of Life, Border Security, Communications Relay, Networked Operations, Anti-Piracy…
In terms of payload, the ScanEagle can be equipped with electro-optical imagers, long-wave infrared sensors, and X-band radars. The UAV is launched from a Mk 2 ‘wedge’ pneumatic catapult when operated on land and a low-pressure pneumatic catapult when deployed on board ships.
Main specifications:
- Wingspan: 3.1m
- Overall length: 1.4m
- Maximum take-off weight: 20 kg
- Maximum speed: 150 km/h
- Maximum altitude: 5,945 m
- Range: over 100 km
- Flight endurance: over 20 hours
