WASHINGTON – US has decided to equip Afghan Military with the dronestechnology to hunt down the terrorists.
*The Boeing subsidiary Insitu was awarded a $47 million USD contract forthe supply and operation of eight ScanEagle unmanned aerial systems for theAfghan Security Forces, a US Department of Defense press release said, asquoted by The Defense Post on Thursday*, TOLO News has reported.
The press release issued on March 28 says the $47,037,076 USDfirm-fixed-price delivery order “provides for the procurement of eightScanEagle unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), spares, support equipment, onelogistician field service representative (FSR); 16 FSR operators to provideScanEagle UAS technical services; two site surveys and site activationteams; and program management to sustain and operate the ScanEagle UAS insupport of the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan under aBuilding Partnership Capacity case”.
Work is expected to be completed in March 2019, the Defense Post reportsaid.
Last July, Insitu was awarded a $19,611,424 USD contract for five ScanEaglesystems and a similar support package for the Afghan Security Forces, thereport said.
The system has been used by the Afghan National Defense and Security Forcessince April 2016.
ScanEagle is a small, portable low-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerialvehicle used for battlefield intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillancesince August 2004 in the Iraq War.
With a flight endurance of over 20 hours, the drone carries a stabilizedelectro-optical and/or infrared camera on a lightweight inertial stabilizedturret system. It can also carry a miniature synthetic aperture radar.
The Defense Post report says the aircraft is launched from the “SuperWedge”pneumatic launcher and recovered using the “Skyhook” retrieval system,which uses a hook on the wingtip to catch a rope hanging from a pole.
A single ScanEagle system reportedly comprises four air vehicles, a groundcontrol station, a remote video terminal and the launch and recoverysystems, the report said.