TSAMTO, April 8. According to the Brazilian Navy Command, on March 30, the Federal Official Gazette published Resolution No. 90 / MB/MD of March 29, 2021 on the creation of the 1st squadron of reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles (EsqdQE-1).
The new squadron will report to the Brazilian Navy's Naval Aviation Command, with a deployment at the Naval Air Base in San Pedro da Aldeia (Rio de Janeiro state). As planned, the unit will support the decision-making process for the planning and use of the Navy through the use of reconnaissance UAVs. The squadron will be the first specialized unit of the Navy to operate UAVs. Its creation is aimed at expanding the capabilities of Navy ships for information collection, surveillance and reconnaissance.
It is assumed that the squadron will initially adopt the ScanAgl UAVs, which should be delivered by the American company Insitu by the end of 2021.
As reported by TSAMTO, the command of the Brazilian Navy ordered the unmanned aerial system " ScanIgl "as part of the program" Foreign military sales " (FMS) in 2019. The system was originally scheduled to be delivered in 2020, but was later postponed due to the COVID-2019 pandemic.
It is expected that the complex for the Brazilian Navy will include six unmanned aerial vehicles, one rail-type launcher, one landing system, two mobile ground control stations, one flight preparation system and one flight analysis system. The agreement also includes personnel training services and five-year logistics support for the contractor.
It was assumed that initially the "ScanGle" would be used from the landing helicopter carrier (A140) "Atlantico", corvettes of the "Niteroi" class and patrol ships of the "Amazonas" class.
It can be assumed that the creation of a unit for the use of UAVs in the near future will lead to the purchase of additional devices, including national development.