Royal Thai Navy orders Schiebel S-100 UAS

The Royal Thai Navy has awarded Austrian unmanned aerial system (UAS) manufacturer Schiebel a contract for the delivery of its CAMCOPTER S-100 UAS.

The S-100 is scheduled to be deployed in 2020 to the Pakphanang District, in the province of Nakhon Si Thammarat in Thailand and on the RTN frigate fleet to deliver land and sea based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations.

As noted by Schiebel, this is the company’s first contract with the RTN, which was signed by Schiebel’s CEO Hannes Hecher and Admiral Prachachart Sirisawat, Director General Naval Acquisition Management office of the Royal Thai Navy, and authorised by Commander In Chief of Royal Thai Navy headquarters in Bangkok.

Worth noting is that the use of the S-100 will be the first time the RTN will be using vertical take off and landing (VTOL) for maritime operations.

Schiebel’s contract with the Royal Thai Navy comes on the back of several trials and contract awards with navies and maritime agencies around the world. The company recently demonstrated the capabilities of its system in Norway, Finland and Belgium. It has also signed contracts for S-100 deliveries with maritime agencies such as the European Maritime Safety Agency.