A Mark V SOC launching a ScanEagle UAV. US Navy picture
SHAH ALAM: Colours Broken Into Shades. RMN will take delivery of the 12 Insitu ScanEagles 2 drones gifted by the US, next month. Confirming the delivery, RMN Chief Admiral Mohd Reza Sany said they expected the squadron specifically set up to run the drones will take a year to train with them before it become fully operational.
The ScanEagle squadron will be based at the Sepanggar naval base in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Mohd Reza was speaking to the media after the welcoming ceremony for KD Keris on January 17.
The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ScanEagle is launched from the flight deck of the Afloat Forward Staging Base (Interim) USS Ponce . US Navy
Mohd Reza said the decision to operate the ScanEagles from RMN vessels or from land will be made during the one year period. He also said that they had not decided to limit the areas where the ScanEagles even though the drone squadron is based at Sepanggar. “We can use the drones around the country and its not limited to Sabah and Sarawak or the ESSCOM AOR.
A ScanEagle being recovered while operating from a US Navy vessel
He said if there was a need for the ScanEagles to operate in Selat Melaka and other areas in the peninsular, the RMN will deploy them. RMN stood up the drone squadron on November 21, 2018 when it was first announced we were getting six ScanEagles. In May, last year, the number were raised to 12 as Malaysia had opted to take an option for six more ScanEagles.
On May 31, the Pentagon announced that Malaysia is getting 12 Scaneagles (four systems). I was told that Malaysia was originally offered six drones with an option for another six. I was told that we had exercised the option so we are getting 12 drones. It is likely the extra ScanEagles were bought for Malaysia under Pentagon’s other security cooperation funds instead of just from the MSI.
Contractor Jermaine Ofoso-Anim launches a ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle from the flight deck of USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3). US Navy
Apart from Malaysia, three other SEA countries are also getting the same drones, namely Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Finally: although it’s telling that the RMN’s first UASs are being payed for by the U.S. taxpayer. Left to our government; who knows when short range UASs in sufficient numbers will be ordered. The army is also in dire need for similar systems; not only for general surveillance but also to perform target locating for the G-5s and ASTROS. No point having the “firepower” (which many are fixated on) if we can’t locate targets and can’t integrate our strike and ISR assets into one.
Whilst short range systems like Scaneagle can be service operated; longer endurance ones ideally should be operated by a tri service UAS command; set up to ensure that no one service dominates and that all intel/data/imagery is made available to those who need it in a timely manner without any bureaucratic red tape.
Thank you uncle sam for the gift, and shame on MINDEF and MENHAN highlighting this as one of their major achievement for their 2019 scorecard.
On MALE UAV for TUDM
Right now as our budget is tight (especially for TUDM, to spend on LCA/LIFT, MPA, UAV, Helicopters, Ground Radars), the best bet to have a proven MALE UAV capability cheaply is to go for US EDA route. Our neighbours are rapidly deploying their own MALE UAVs, we need to get the capability quickly too. Now is not the time to do trial and error for this, not with our limited budgets. IMO just get EDA of say 12 MQ-1 Predators, without its armed capability for free from USA. Operate this for 10 years, learn everything from this, and use all the experience to either buy or even develop our own MALE UAV come 2030.
@Azlan
What do you mean by succulent numbers? Are you hungry?
Reply
typo, i fixed it
With 100km range and 22 hours endurance it should be good enough for the services. There are commercial version, so plenty of upgrades and support. A good start and hopefully we will soon reap the benefit of identifying coastal encroachment.
@ azlan
On the tentera darat UAS/UAV.
Right now for artillery target and location, the army under Rejimen Artilleri Diraja (RAD) has just 1 dedicated regiment which is the 61 RAD with the arthur WLR. This cannot support all the RAD units (current and future additional units) operating on both east and west malaysia.
For the UAS, can RAD use the Fulmar X, which is currently used by MMEA? It has the advantage of long endurance (8 hours), dedicated launcher and retriever systems, and a low system cost.
Say a dedicated new 62 RAD regiment to operate 3 batteries of Fulmar X to supplement 61 RAD in west malaysia
Another regiment, the 63 RAD to be set up in east malaysia with a combination of Fulmar X and WLR batteries to cover east malaysia.
I see no reason why the Fulmar or Camcopters can’t be used for the purpose. The trick would be to first get the systems in numbers and then integrate them so we can have a strike/recce capability. Ideally the UASs would also be able to share in real time imagery with RMAF fighters to enable precision and timely strikes to be conducted. I’m not sure however if Fulmar and Camcopter can be fitted with EW payloads like the ones the RMAF received from Saab. It’s 2020 and the fact that the army doesn’t have a single UAS to its name is preposterous.
Currently the Russians are the leading practitioners when it comes to the tactical use of UASs and combining them with strike assets. In the Ukraine the appearance of UASs was followed by accurate arty/MLRS fire within minutes; together with effective jamming of radios and GPSs: for which the Ukrainians had no effective means of countering.
@...
"MINDEF and MENHAN highlighting this as one of their major achievement"
Come now, that's par for the course of our glorious PH politicians today.
IMO what russia is doing in donbass and syria as to the use of UAS for directing artillery fire is the benchmark for other armies to follow. Also the widespread use of ESM to support locating enemy locations. It is something we need to study and implement within our own forces.
UAS for directing artillery fire has been around since the 80s if not earlier. The Israelis probably have the most advanced such kill chain right now, reportedly aiming for TOT from detection by ISR assets in under a minute.
IMO additional UAVs for non-piracy focused tasks are nice to have in the current economic environment.
Clarification to my above comment - I mean artillery UAVs are "nice to have", according to the classic prioritisation method of:
View Comments (60)
Finally: although it’s telling that the RMN’s first UASs are being payed for by the U.S. taxpayer. Left to our government; who knows when short range UASs in sufficient numbers will be ordered. The army is also in dire need for similar systems; not only for general surveillance but also to perform target locating for the G-5s and ASTROS. No point having the “firepower” (which many are fixated on) if we can’t locate targets and can’t integrate our strike and ISR assets into one.
Whilst short range systems like Scaneagle can be service operated; longer endurance ones ideally should be operated by a tri service UAS command; set up to ensure that no one service dominates and that all intel/data/imagery is made available to those who need it in a timely manner without any bureaucratic red tape.
Thank you uncle sam for the gift, and shame on MINDEF and MENHAN highlighting this as one of their major achievement for their 2019 scorecard.
On MALE UAV for TUDM
Right now as our budget is tight (especially for TUDM, to spend on LCA/LIFT, MPA, UAV, Helicopters, Ground Radars), the best bet to have a proven MALE UAV capability cheaply is to go for US EDA route. Our neighbours are rapidly deploying their own MALE UAVs, we need to get the capability quickly too. Now is not the time to do trial and error for this, not with our limited budgets. IMO just get EDA of say 12 MQ-1 Predators, without its armed capability for free from USA. Operate this for 10 years, learn everything from this, and use all the experience to either buy or even develop our own MALE UAV come 2030.
@Azlan
What do you mean by succulent numbers? Are you hungry?
Reply
typo, i fixed it
With 100km range and 22 hours endurance it should be good enough for the services. There are commercial version, so plenty of upgrades and support. A good start and hopefully we will soon reap the benefit of identifying coastal encroachment.
@ azlan
On the tentera darat UAS/UAV.
Right now for artillery target and location, the army under Rejimen Artilleri Diraja (RAD) has just 1 dedicated regiment which is the 61 RAD with the arthur WLR. This cannot support all the RAD units (current and future additional units) operating on both east and west malaysia.
For the UAS, can RAD use the Fulmar X, which is currently used by MMEA? It has the advantage of long endurance (8 hours), dedicated launcher and retriever systems, and a low system cost.
Say a dedicated new 62 RAD regiment to operate 3 batteries of Fulmar X to supplement 61 RAD in west malaysia
Another regiment, the 63 RAD to be set up in east malaysia with a combination of Fulmar X and WLR batteries to cover east malaysia.
http://tda-armements.com/sites/default/files/asset/document/fulmar-ing.pdf
I see no reason why the Fulmar or Camcopters can’t be used for the purpose. The trick would be to first get the systems in numbers and then integrate them so we can have a strike/recce capability. Ideally the UASs would also be able to share in real time imagery with RMAF fighters to enable precision and timely strikes to be conducted. I’m not sure however if Fulmar and Camcopter can be fitted with EW payloads like the ones the RMAF received from Saab. It’s 2020 and the fact that the army doesn’t have a single UAS to its name is preposterous.
Currently the Russians are the leading practitioners when it comes to the tactical use of UASs and combining them with strike assets. In the Ukraine the appearance of UASs was followed by accurate arty/MLRS fire within minutes; together with effective jamming of radios and GPSs: for which the Ukrainians had no effective means of countering.
@...
"MINDEF and MENHAN highlighting this as one of their major achievement"
Come now, that's par for the course of our glorious PH politicians today.
IMO what russia is doing in donbass and syria as to the use of UAS for directing artillery fire is the benchmark for other armies to follow. Also the widespread use of ESM to support locating enemy locations. It is something we need to study and implement within our own forces.
UAS for directing artillery fire has been around since the 80s if not earlier. The Israelis probably have the most advanced such kill chain right now, reportedly aiming for TOT from detection by ISR assets in under a minute.
IMO additional UAVs for non-piracy focused tasks are nice to have in the current economic environment.
Clarification to my above comment - I mean artillery UAVs are "nice to have", according to the classic prioritisation method of:
1) Must Have
2) Should Have
3) Nice To Have