The Indonesian Aerospace Wulung UAV has achieved a key milestone with its attainment of a military type certification.
Developed jointly by Indonesian Aerospace and the government, the Wulung is aimed at military intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, and other surveillance roles such as border patrol.
The certification process involved 13 flight tests of the Wulung, says Indonesian Aerospace in a statement
The system has been in testing for several years. The company says that when fully developed it will have a range of 100km from the controller, and a maximum cruising altitude of 5,500ft.
The company has operated it for four hour missions, and hopes to gradually increase this to eight.
The Wulung is powered by a 22-horsepower piston engine and is largely made from composite materials. It has a fixed, triangular landing gear arrangement.
Equipped with an autopilot system, the Wulung’s main sensor is a high definition camera that can shoot video and snap still images. The camera can also operate in the infrared spectrum.
"These results have made us very proud,” says admiral M. Sofyan, of the Indonesian defence ministry. “The process has been long, with two years required to attain the type certificate. This is our first step with the development of UAVs, and there is a great future ahead. The government will require drones in large quantities.”
Sofyan adds that UAVs will be particularly useful to provide 24-hour surveillance of Indonesia’s borders.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
