Indonesia To Test Home-made Medium Altitude Long Endurance Military Drone In 2019

Indonesia has started developing a large medium altitude long endurance (MALE) military drone which it plans to test in 2019.

A consortium consisting of  aircraft maker PT Dirgantara, Indonesian Agency for Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), state-owned electronic firm PT LEN, the Ministry of Defense and Security and the Bandung-based Institute of Technology is preparing to conduct a flight test for its larger Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drone in 2019.

"For next drone development, we will develop larger MALE drone. It can fly for a longer distance, more loads and longer flight duration which can reach 24 hours. It will be used for border surveillance operations as part of the efforts to maintain security and defense," Antara news said quoting Wahyu Pandoe of the BPPT in Jakarta on Sunday.

Head of BPPT's Drone Program Joko Purwoto said Indonesia would have been able to conduct a flight test for its MALE drone in 2019.

Unlike the Alap-alap, the smaller drone built by the BPPT which consumes octane-98 gasoline, the larger MALE drone will use avtur aircraft fuel.

This drone is developed with a capability to fly for 24 hours at the altitude of 30,000 feet and with a load of not only cameras but also radars.

Previously, BPPT has developed a number of types of drones such as the Wulung and Alap-alap PA-4 and Alap-alap PA-5. The Wulung drones which were built for surveillance activities were able to fly at a radius of 120 kilometers for four hours at an altitude of 8,000 feet.