Indonesian Drone Ready For Military Operations

Purawakarta, W Java (Antara Bali) -- Drones, which are unmanned aerial vehicles, manufactured by the Indonesia Maritime Institute are ready to be operated in border regions to carry out area surveillance missions.

A drone named OS-Wifanusa was successfully operated in a flight testing session in Waduk Jatiluhur, Purwakarta district, West Java province, on Tuesday.

"If the government acknowledges our drone, we are ready to produce it in large numbers," Executive Director of the Indonesia Maritime Institute Dr. Y Paonganan said.

He affirmed that the drone made originally in Indonesia is no less advanced than the ones manufactured in other industrial countries.

The unmanned aircraft produced in Indonesia was able to take off and land on a river, lake, sea and land.

The drone has a 2-stroke engine with a capacity of 170 CC and is able to lift loads weighing 60 to 70 kilograms. "To take off in water, the aircraft only requires a distance of some 50 meters. As for taking off from land, it only needs a runaway about 30 to 40 meters long," Paonganan stated.

He further noted that research prior to manufacturing the unmanned aircraft had been carried out for about two years.

OS-Wifanusa has the ability to fly for five hours for a distance of 100 kilometers or 200 kilometers round trip running on Pertamax type gasoline.

Paonganan believes that the unmanned aircraft can be used by the government for military needs, especially to support their area surveillance missions. "There are two functions of the drone---aerial photography and area monitoring. In addition, this equipment can also be used as spy planes by the military," Paonganan pointed out.

If the government intends to use the drone and it is required to meet military specifications, the Indonesia Maritime Institute is ready to meet the standards, he added. (WDY)