The Royal Thai Navy Studies the Deployment of Guided Missiles with the MARCUS-B VTOL UAV

19 September 2022

Marcus-B VTOL UAV equipped with Thales Lightweight Multi-role Missile (photos : AAG)

Unmanned aerial vehicle for maritime reconnaissance, type 2 MARCUS-B VTOL UAV, vertical take-off and landing type at the Naval Military Research and Development Office, NIDA, developed with the Thai private sector, namely Thai SDT Composites Company, and Pims Company Technologies Thailand.

MARCUS-B has a wingspan of 4.3m, powered by a Battery and electric motor, operating time in the air of 2-3 hours, vertical takeoff, normal take-off weight of 45kg, a maximum takeoff weight of 55kg, normal travel speed of 80km/h, maximum speed 110km/h, distance Operation by setting waypoint 200km, operating distance that can control and transmit 30-50km.

Although primarily designed for maritime reconnaissance missions. But project officers say the MARCUS-B UAV is still capable of taking a maximum vertical takeoff and landing capacity of 70kg from 55kg currently tested, so it has an additional payload capacity of around 15kg.

Therefore, there is a feasibility study to increase the ability of Small missile deployment as the European company Thales presented its Freefall Lightweight Multirole Missiles (FFLMM), models that were showcased and explored at Defense & Security 2022.

The FFLMM weighs less than 6kg, measures only 700mm in length, and is guided by INS and GPS satellites during flight and a Semi-Active Laser(SAL) to approach targets. With a warhead weighing only 2kg, it has a firing range of more than 4km when firing from a 10,000feet altitude.

The MARCUS-B can be equipped with a 2-shot FFLMM as well as the RTAF U1-M medium-sized tactical unmanned aerial vehicle Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) that has already been tested.

(AAG)