LANGKAWI: The maritime segment at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2023 (Lima’23) gave the public a close look at the Scan Eagle, an asset belonging to the Navy’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) called Squadron 601 RMN.
Commanding officer of Squadron 601 RMN Commander Mohd Khalid Ahmad Zakaria said since its deployment in 2021, the asset used for the purpose of delivering information involving the country’s security and defence operations is being exhibited for the first time in the Peninsula.
Squadron 601 is based at the Navy Base in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
"Lima’23 is the best platform (so) we have brought it to the Peninsula for the first time. Many people have asked about the Scan Eagle, so this is an opportunity for us to give a closer explanation to the public about the tasks carried out by the Navy in particular and the Armed Forces in general on maintaining national security," he said.
He said this at the maritime segment at Resort World Langkawi in conjunction with Lima’23.
The UAS Scan Eagle is an aircraft made by the Boeing-Insitu company supplied by the United States to Malaysia through the Maritime Security Initiative programme, which consists of 18 aircraft.
Commenting on the functions and duties of Squadron 601 in national defence, Mohd Khalid said the Navy played a big role in implementing Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and had been involved in various exercises and security operations in the country.
He added that through the presence of the asset, it was possible to close the capabilities gap in the operation of the Navy through the ability of the asset to convey information more quickly, thus facilitating related operational planning.
"The use of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) is not something new as many parties have used it widely, but in the Armed Forces it is a new capability... by using these assets, we can convey information directly and quickly, for immediate reaction against any sightings seen entering the waters of our country, as any incursion can be detected earlier.
"...for example, we were also involved in SAR (search and rescue operations) in some cases that happened in Sabah waters in the past, where we were able to speed up the discovery and it was very effective," he said. - Bernama
