Interview: Deftech’s Malaysian Made Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Overt Defense was able to speak with a representative of Deftech Unmanned Systems during Defense Services Asia 2024 about the latest version of its Tactical UAV, the first unmanned aerial vehicle of its class to be designed and developed in Malaysia.
The Tactical UAV on display is the third generation of the drone developed since it was first unveiled at Defense Services Asia 2022. This newest version of the conventional takeoff-and-landing drone can carry up to 10 kilograms in surveillance payloads, with a maximum takeoff weight of 120 kilograms. The Tactical UAV has a maximum flight endurance of 10 hours, with the longest test flight it has flown to date lasting 7 hours.
Previous generations of the drone equipped with surveillance sensors have already conducted operational missions on a contractor-owned, contractor-operated basis for the Malaysian government, although a Deftech representative would not comment on when the missions were conducted, or if they were still ongoing.
In addition to surveillance missions for military and law enforcement clients, Deftech also advertises the drone for use in precision agriculture. The company is currently using smaller drones for precision agriculture work in oil palm plantations.
According to the representative, the Tactical UAV made its first autonomous flight in February this year, flying 30 kilometers from the airstrip it took off from and returning without direct human control. While controlled by a human operator on the ground, the drone is now capable of autonomously taking off, flying and conducting a surveillance mission, and landing.
The representative added that Deftech is planning to conduct a flight test that will take the drone to its maximum range of 100 kilometers, but the timing of the testing will depend on when the Malaysian government approves the test. The drone is currently capable of flying up to 100 kilometers away from its launch site, limited by the control systems currently equipped on the drone.
The representative noted that the pace of further developmental testing and enhancements to the drone was set by the speed with which the Malaysian government approved further test flights, adding that they hoped that the Malaysian government would provide faster approvals in the future.