TSAMTO, June 25. The command of the Thai Navy has received two unmanned aerial vehicles of the S-100 "Kamkopter" helicopter type manufactured by the Austrian company Schiebel.
According to Janes Navy International, the equipment has been adopted by a specialized UAV squadron of the country's Navy. Judging by the photos published by the aviation division of the Thai Navy, the UAVs were painted in the colors of the Navy and received serial numbers 1425 and 1426. They became part of the 104th Squadron, stationed in Pak Panang (Nakhon Si Thammarat Province) in Southern Thailand.
The photos also indicate that the UAV with the serial number 1426 is not currently equipped with any sensors. The device with the serial number 1425 is equipped with a ventral electro-optical observation station.
Schiebel company won the tender for the supply of an unnamed number of S-100 UAVs to the Thai Navy in 2019. As the company stated in November of the same year, UAVs will be used both from land bases and from frigates for conducting reconnaissance at sea.
The S-100 is a helicopter-type UAV with a length of 3.11 m, a height of 1 m and a width of 1.2 m. The fuselage of the device is made of carbon fiber with titanium elements. The duration of the UAV flight with a maximum take-off weight of 200 kg in the basic version with a full fuel tank and 34 kg of cargo is over 6 hours. An additional tank increases the duration of being in the air up to 10 hours. The UAV's own weight is 110 kg. The engine runs on aviation gasoline or heavy fuel. The range of the UAV in the line of sight is 200 km, the practical ceiling is 18,000 feet, the maximum speed is 240 km / h. The flight can be carried out on a programmed route using a GPS navigation system or under the control of an operator.
The 104th Squadron is part of the 1st wing of the Aviation Division of the Thai Navy. Previously, it was armed with A-7 "Corsair-2" attack aircraft. The squadron was disbanded in the mid-2000s, but was recently restored as a unit for the use of UAVs. In addition to the S-100, the 104th Squadron is armed with Orbiter 3B UAVs, which are mainly used to protect fisheries in the Gulf of Thailand.
