Madrid-based Alpha Unmanned Systems (AUS) has established a licensed manufacturing partnership with Indonesian company PT Indadi Venyro in a bid to expand the former’s footprint across Southeast Asia. The partnership agreement was established in April 2023 after PT Indadi Venyro agreed to invest in AUS as a minority equity partner. Besides licensed manufacturing, the agreement would allow PT Indadi Venyro to provide local maintenance and support for AUS products in the region. AUS has supplied a maritime variant of its Alpha 900 rotor-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (BAKAMLA). These UAVs are in operation on the service’s largest vessels – the 110 m patrol vessel KN Tanjung Datu (1101), and the 80 m Pulau Nipah-class patrol boat KN Pulau Marore (322).

Maritime services such as BAKAMLA have long sought for aviation capabilities that would significantly extend the maritime surveillance and interdiction capabilities of its vessels. However, prior to the widespread adoption of rotor-wing UAVs, this capability was primarily found on shipborne helicopters, which are cost-prohibitive for services such as BAKAMLA, which often has to compete for funding resources with services such as the Indonesian Navy. The partnership between AUS and PT Indadi Venyro has the potential to further drive down costs associated with operating the Alpha 900, which in turn paves the way for a wider adoption of this UAV type on other BAKAMLA vessels. This wider adoption of rotary-wing UAVs would improve BAKAMLA’s ability to carry out maritime surveillance operations within Indonesia’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zones, effectively freeing Indonesian Navy vessels for operations further out at sea, especially along the country’s sea lines of communications.Advertisement

The Alpha 900 has a maximum take-off weight of 25 kg and a maximum cruise speed of 100 km/h. At the cruising speed of 60 km/h on its full payload, the UAV has an endurance of up to 2.2 hours. The UAV has a helicopter-like configuration with a tail and main rotors. In BAKAMLA service, the Alpha 900 has been equipped with the Epsilon 140LC dual-sensor surveillance system from Octopus ISR Systems. The surveillance system’s camera sensor has a 30x

optical zoom while its infrared sensor has a 4x digital zoom. The UAV has been incorporated with an automatic take-off and landing system that can operate at up to Sea State 4 for take-offs, and up to Sea State 5 for landings. The UAV is STANAG-compliant and features built-in redundancies for its critical systems. The UAV is not armed and when not in use, its main rotor blades can be folded for easier stowage and handling, especially when onboard vessels.

Share this:FacebookRedditPinterestTwitterLinkedInRelated posts:Republic of Korea Navy Gets New 3,000-ton Submarine with Covert Mission CapabilitiesRepublic of Korea Navy (ROK Navy) on April 20 received…US Navy and JMSDF Conduct Training Torpedo Exercise in Japanese WatersAircrews from the “Saberhawks” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM)…French Navy Tests Dassult Rafale Marine Fighter’s Latest F4.1 StandardSince February 2023, the French Navy’s CEPA/10S (centre d’expérimentations pratiques…US Navy Nimitz-class Aircraft Carrier USS Nimitz Records 350,000th Arrested LandingUSS Nimitz (CVN 68), the oldest-serving U.S commissioned aircraft carrier…Brazilian Navy Begins Transferring Sections of Submarine Angostura to ShipyardThe transfer of the hull sections to the shipyard at…US Marine Corps Set Up Land-based Tomahawk Battalion in Japan by 2030The U.S. Marines Corps will set up a battalion tasked…French Navy Submarine Le Terrible Fires M-51 Nuclear Missile in Latest TestSébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces, expressed his great…French Directorate General of Armament Receives Second H160 Helicopter for French NavyThis second helicopter was received on March 27, 2023, at…Damen Naval Completes Midlife Update of Royal Netherlands Navy HNLMS Johan de WittRoyal Netherlands Navy Landing Platform Dock HNLMS Johan de Witt…Australian Defence Force Confirms Undersea Support Vessel ProcurementThe Australian Government is continuing to deliver enhanced maritime capability…