Janes reported 26 March that Royal Malaysian Navy has taken delivery of the first 6 of 12 Insitu ScanEagle 2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), along with associated equipment that were gifted by the United States under Washington’s Maritime Security Initiative (MSI) programme. The first batch of platforms and equipment was delivered in late February. The remaining six UAVs are expected to be handed over in 2022.The package includes training and maintenance and the ability to operate the UAVs for up to 2,000 hours for the duration of the programme, the Malaysian Chief of Defence Force General Affendi Buang told Jane’s.

The ScanEagle will assist Royal Malaysian Navy in maritime surveillance whilst the ministry is in the midst of looking to procure two maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) and medium altitude long endurance unmanned airborne system (MALE UAS). It said the country needed the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities to patrol wide strategic routes along the Straits of Malacca, South China Sea and Sulu Sea. Besides the Royal Malaysian Navy, other enforcement agencies would also benefit from Insitu ScanEagle 2 UAVs as maritime surveillance capabilities and information sharing among enforcement agencies as well as the armed forces will be increased.

Boeing subsidiary Insitu was awarded an almost $48 million contract for 34 Insitu ScanEagle 2 unmanned air vehicles for Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam, the U.S. Department of Defense said in a release. The $47,930,791 firm-fixed-price delivery order was issued against a 2017 basic ordering agreement, the Friday, May 31 release said. The order also provides for spare payloads, spare and repair parts, support equipment, tools, training, technical services, and field service representatives. Malaysia is to receive 12 vehicles, Indonesia 8; the Philippines 8, and Vietnam 6. The release also detailed the costs to each government: Malaysia $19,329,334; Philippines $9,633,665; Vietnam $9,770,120; and Indonesia $9,197,672.

The Boeing Insitu ScanEagle is a small, long-endurance, low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) built by Insitu, a subsidiary of Boeing, and is used for reconnaissance. The ScanEagle was designed by Insitu based on the Insitu SeaScan, a commercial UAV that was intended for fish-spotting. ScanEagle is a long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle with a flight endurance of over 20 hours used for battlefield intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance.

A single ScanEagle system reportedly comprises four air vehicles, a ground control station, a remote video terminal and the launch and recovery systems. The drone carries a stabilized electro-optical and/or infrared camera on a lightweight inertial stabilized turret system.