BANGKOK, 13 May 2015 – Deputy Prime Minister for Defense Prawit Wongsuwan, has given unmanned aerial vehicles to the Royal Thai Army. The aircraft will be used in Southern security operations.
The Deputy PM handed over the drones on behalf of the Defense Technology Institute and the Royal Air Force Academy who jointly developed the aircraft. Deputy Defense Minister General Udomdej Sitabutr, as the Army Commander, received the drones.
The aircraft are able to operate in a radius of more than 10 kilometers for at least one and a half hours, and have the capacity to fly up to 500 meters above the ground. The aerial vehicles can be controlled manually from base, or fly automatically, and are equipped with cameras.
The unmanned aircraft will be used for patrols in the southernmost provinces to reduce the risk of attacks on security officials.