The capability of the Philippine Navy to carry out various missions at sea will be greatly enhanced by the United States-provided advanced unmanned fixed-wing air system.
It is the first fixed UAS operated by the Philippine Navy.
The ScanEagle and associated equipment, valued at US$14.79 million, was purchased as part of the Maritime Security Initiative Program of the United States.
It was requested by the Philippine Marine in 2017 and formalized in February 2019, following a series of dialogues with the Philippine Joint US Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG-Phil).
With the ScanEagle now in the PN inventory, Bacordo stated that the Navy now has an alternative to its helicopters and radar systems to broaden the coverage of its patrols.
Bacordo also stated that the ScanEagle can also be used for rapid damage evaluation in case of disasters or typhoons.
ScanEagle is as reliable as any of the existing PN electro-optical systems or even their radars or helicopter or fixed-wing surveillance.
Vice-Admiral Erick Kagaoan, Deputy Vice-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), who represented Secretary of Defense Delfin Lorenzana as guest of honour and speaker, and Rear-Admiral Loumer Bernabe, Commander of the Philippine Fleet, have graced the event.
Kimberly Kelly, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, and officials from the U.S. Embassy presented the UAS ScanEagle to the Philippine Navy, which will be used by the squadron recently activated under the Naval Wing of the Philippine Fleet, Maritime Unmanned Aerial Reconnaissance Squadron (MUARS-71).
Lorenzana's message, read by Kagaoan, said “these new assets will complement the same kind being operated by the 300th Air Intelligence and Security Wing at the Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, which is very close to the disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea that needs our consistent attention.”
The ScanEagle UAS is manufactured by Insitu Inc., a subsidiary of Boeing.
It is a small, long-term unmanned aerial vehicle that can be primarily used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. , as it provides near real-time coverage and can be launched from land and onboard major Philippine Navy vessels.
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