KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's first-ever locally designed and developed tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was unveiled today at the 17th Defence Services Asia 2022 (DSA 2022).
The product was developed by DRB-HICOM Defence Technologies Sdn Bhd (Deftech), a subsidiary of DRB-HICOM Bhd and unveiled by Chief of Airforce general Datuk Seri Mohd Asghar Khan Goriman Khan.
Tagged Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (ISR UAV), it was fully designed and developed in-house by Deftech subsidiary DEFTECH Unmanned Systems Sdn Bhd (Deftech Unmanned Systems).
The UAV is a runway-operated tactical UAV capable of executing complex, autonomous drone operations in difficult to access areas, thus allowing for complex, hostile operations at minimum risk to life.
Deftech group chief executive officer Fazley Ariffin said the development of Malaysia's first indigenous tactical UAV was an exciting milestone for the local defence industry.
"Autonomous technology such as UAVs or drones can enhance multi-layer capabilities of defence and security forces. It provides an avenue to safely handle undefined or even hostile situations and environments.
"Deftech's development of the first indigenous tactical UAV marks a new and exciting step forward for the company into the realm of new technologies. It is always best to enhance local capabilities and move towards self-reliance for such a sensitive field," said Fazley in a statement today.
Deftech ISR UAV's capabilities include day and night aerial surveillance, as well as recognition and identification for both inland and maritime operational theatres.
It is designed to have a maximum take-off weight of 120kg, a 10-hour endurance with a range of 100km, and can carry a payload capacity of 15kg.
The UAV's 100 per cent local development ensures fast technical support and response at competitive costs.
"The body of the bird itself was fully developed and fabricated in- house with composites fabrication capabilities. Deftech's Tactical UAV is also fully-customisable to tailor specific operations required by the users," Fazley said.
He added that the ISR UAV was developed from lessons learnt when cooperating with defence and security forces on operating drones for different operations.
"The use of UAVs by both military and civil security will definitely be an asset for Malaysian national security, especially for critical and time-sensitive situations, such as surveillance and border control. Deftech will continue to further develop local unmanned systems technologies to lessen reliance towards external party, and build local capabilities in defence," he added.
The ISR UAV is currently on display at DSA 22 at Mitec, which begins today and ends on March 31.
At DSA 2022, Deftech is also showcasing the SR-10 VTOL, another indigenously-developed UAV.
The SR-10 VTOL's hybrid design allows for precision vertical take-off and landing.
It has a maximum take-off weight of 15kg, is battery operated, and has a 500g payload capacity.
It is also capable of both night and day close-range surveillance with up to two-hour endurance.
Fully autonomous and compact in size, SR-10 VTOL can take off and land virtually anywhere.
Its small form factor and easily detachable design allows for minimal operating crew.