Thai Air Force Purchases 3 Additional DA42MPP Aircraft

01 Januari 2021

DA42 MPP model (photo : Diamond)

Last month The Royal Thai Air Force has signed three additional DA42MPP reconnaissance aircraft with a budget of $ 400 million, which will be equipped with Riegl's LiDAR Sensor and surveillance cameras to enter service in Squadron 402 Wing 4 Takhli.

The LiDAR Sensor is a terrain survey system by projecting laser beams and measuring the reflection of light to generate a three-dimensional image of the terrain or target. It is expected that the Air Force will choose the VQ-1560 II-S from Austria Riegl. This procurement should be from the budget in the 2020 budget.

DA422MPP up to 12 hours non-stop missions (image : Diamond)

The Air Force currently has 29 DA42s, divided into:

-Model VI was used in flight training missions of 12 aircraft at Kamphaeng Saen Aviation School.

-Model TDI, used in flight training missions of 6 aircraft at 604 Squadron, Wing 6, Don Muang

-The MPP model was used in eight air reconnaissance missions at the 402 Squadron 4 Takhli, equipped with different sensors such as the MX-15 and A3 Edge.

-The UAV model, Dominator XP, is used in three air reconnaissance missions at the 404 Squadron 4 Takhli.

Together with these last three orders, the Air Force has 32 DA42s in use.

(TAF)