US delivers Philippine navy’s first ‘eye-in-the-sky’ surveillance system
The Philippine Navy on Wednesday received its first advanced fixed wing unmanned aerial system (UAS) from the US to beef up its surveillance capabilities, officials said.
The US Embassy in Manila’s acting deputy chief of mission, Kimberly Kelly, and representatives from the Joint US Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG) handed over the $14.79 million ScanEagle UAS to Filipino navy commander Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo, during a ceremony at the Naval Base Heracleo Alano, Sangley Point in Cavite.
The ScanEagle system comprises eight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), two launchers, a skyhook, and ground control station.
It will provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities to the Philippine fleet’s 71st Maritime Unmanned Aerial Reconnaissance Squadron (71 MUARS), increasing the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) “maritime domain awareness and border security capabilities.”
Kelly said: “Transferring the ScanEagle system for operation ... represents the steadfast commitment by the US to our partners in the Armed Forces of the Philippines.”
AFP deputy chief of staff, Vice Admiral Erick Kagaoan, who represented Defense Secretary Delfin
Lorenzana at the handover ceremony, said: “This new asset will complement the same kind being operated by the (Philippine Air Force) 300th Air Intelligence and Security Wing at the Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, which is very close to the disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea (Philippine government-designated eastern parts of the South China Sea) that need our consistent attention.” The ScanEagle UAS is a product of Insitu Inc., a subsidiary of the Boeing company. It is a small, long-endurance UAV that can provide the navy with real-time coverage and can be launched from both land and sea. Officials said that with its longer range and prolonged flight time, the system will improve the Philippine Navy ships’ coverage in protecting the country’s maritime waters, acting as the “eye in the sky.” It would also be useful during humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) operations, and search and rescue missions, they added.
“The ScanEagle UAS will greatly aid our organization in the effective assessment of the subject areas, timely decision-making, and prompt action in the conduct of territorial defense, internal security operations, as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster response,” said Philippine Fleet Commander Loumer Bernabe. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the ceremony, Bacordo said that the ScanEagle UAS would “greatly enhance” the navy’s capabilities in conducting missions at sea. “Whatever missions we were capable of before, with this system it will expand the coverage of all these missions ... by more than five times.”