UMS Skeldar Trains Indonesian Operators on Rajawali

Swiss-based developer of unmanned aircraft systems UMS Skeldar has begun training personnel from the Indonesian Army (Tentara Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Darat, or TNI-AD) to operate the fixed-wing Rajawali-330 surveillance and reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle.

The training began in Indonesia on 18 April and includes ground-handling procedures as well as flight operations of the fixed-wing UAV, said George Duncan, the director for Asia-Pacific business development at UMS Skeldar, in an interview with IHS Jane’s .

The training is scheduled to take place over the next six to eight weeks but the number of personnel involved has not been disclosed.

The Rajawali-330 is a localised version of UMS Skeldar’s F-330 fixed-wing surveillance UAV. The system ordered by the TNI-AD has been co-developed with Indonesian defence equipment manufacturer PT Bhinneka Dwi Persada (BDP).

IHS Jane’s first reported in February 2016 that the TNI-AD had acquired three Rajawali-330 UAVs for surveillance and reconnaissance missions. One has been delivered and another two are scheduled to arrive by the end of May 2016.

The Rajawali-330 has an overall length of 2.27 m, a height of 0.9 m, and a wingspan of 3.3 m. The aircraft has a maximum take-off weight of 21.5 kg and can carry a maximum payload of 10 kg. The UAV is powered by a single-piston engine that can attain a top speed of 70 kt and a cruise speed of 43 kt. When carrying its maximum payload, the Rajawali-330 has an endurance in excess of eight hours.

The UAVs being delivered to the TNI-AD are each equipped with an electro-optical/infrared camera for day and night surveillance, a hyperspectral camera, and a mapping camera with light detection and ranging (LIDAR) capabilities.

Photo: A mock-up of the Rajawali-330 at the Singapore Airshow 2016 – IHS/Ridzwan Rahmat

Source: IHS Jane’s 360