태국 해군, 해상초계용 무인기로 이스라엘제 헤르메스 900 선택

[위종민]

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/royal-thai-navy-chooses-israeli-made-hermes-900-kochav-drones/

태국 해군이 해상초계용 드론으로 국제경쟁입찰을 통해 엘빗사의 헤르메스 900 UAC를 선택했습니다. 계약규모는 40억 바트 (1억 1132만 달러)네요. 터키, 중국, 미국과 같은 이스라엘의 IAI와 경쟁했었습니다. 

헤르메스 900은 이스라엘제 중형 중고도 장시간 체공 무인기로 최대고도 30,000피트 이상에서 30시간 이상 체공이 가능하며 주요 임무는 ISR 및 통신중계입니다. 헤르메스 450 무인기의 후속으로, 태국은 헤르메스 450 4기를 롭부리주의 육군항공센터에서 운용중입니다. 

Royal Thai Navy chooses Israeli-made Hermes 900 Kochav drone

Israel-based Elbit Systems has won an international bid to supply the Royal Thai Navy with seven Hermes 900 Kochav drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) at a cost of about four billion baht, RTN Spokesman Vice Adm Pokkrong Monthatphalin said today (Friday).

He said that Defence Permanent Secretary General Warakiat Rattananont signed an approval for the winning bid yesterday and that a formal contract for the acquisition of the drones is expected to be signed within 30 days, between the RTN and Elbit Systems’ representative in Thailand.

The procurement has been approved by the Comptroller Department and an official public announcement will be issued after the formal signing of the contract.

Five companies, one each from Turkey, China and the United States and two from Israel joined the RTN’s bid. The suppliers from China and Turkey proposed three UAVs, while Elbit Systems proposed seven and the other Israeli company, IAI, proposed five. The US bidder failed the screening test.

The drones will be deployed at coastal naval bases.

The Hermes 900 Kochav is an Israeli medium-size, multi-payload, medium altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle designed for tactical missions. It is the successor to the Hermes 450 series. It has an endurance of over 30 hours and can fly at a maximum altitude of 30,000 feet, with a primary mission for reconnaissance, surveillance and communications relay.

The Royal Thai Army, currently, has four Hermes 450 drones, stationed at the Army Aviation Centre in Lop Buri province.

Earlier, two opposition Pheu Thai MPs Yutthapong Charassathien and Anudit Nakorntap accused the RTN of not being transparent in the procurement of the drones when they changed from Chinese-made, Wing Loong, to favour the Israeli-made drones and that the Hermes 900 have not been deployed by the navy of any country and has a bad reputation for crashing.

The RTN dismissed the two MPs’ accusations and insisted that the procurement of the Israeli drones is transparent.