TSAMTO, March 2. The command of the Thai Navy has signed a contract with the Austrian company Schiebel Aircraft GMBH for the purchase of the second batch of S-100 Kamkopter helicopter type UAVs.
As reported by Aagth1.blogspot.com, two unmanned complexes were ordered consisting of two S-100 vehicles each. The contract value was 556.1 million. Baht (US$ 17.19 million).
As previously reported by TSAMTO, the command of the Thai Navy in September 2021 announced its intention to purchase two additional sets of unmanned aerial vehicles of the S-100 Kamkopter helicopter type manufactured by the Austrian company Schiebel. The purchase cost was estimated at 556 million baht.
This acquisition will increase the number of S-100 complexes in service with the Thai Navy to four. The first two sets were purchased in 2019 and have been actively used since 2020. Since each of the systems includes two UAVs, a total of 8 S-100 units will be used as part of the Navy.
The new UAVs will be adopted by the 104th Squadron, which is part of the 1st wing of the Aviation Division of the Thai Navy, as well as the 491st Air and Coastal Defense Command. Previously, the 104th squadron included attack aircraft A-7 "Corsair-2". The squadron was disbanded in the mid-2000s, but has recently been restored as a unit for the use of UAVs. In addition to the S-100, the 104th Squadron is armed with Orbiter-3B UAVs.
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's press service reported in November of the same year, UAVs will be used both from land bases and from frigates to conduct reconnaissance at sea. According to unofficial information, the cost of the first two complexes amounted to 600 million. baht ($19.4 million).
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 the flight 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.
At the moment, export deliveries of the S-100 Kamkopter UAV have been implemented in more than 20 countries around the world. In the ASEAN region, S-100 UAVs are used in Malaysia, Myanmar and Indonesia.
