Thai navy introduces Blackjack into service
The RQ-21A Blackjack has arrived in Thailand, and will be used to monitor coastal waters. (Boeing Insitu)
The latest UAV to join the Thai military is the Blackjack from Boeing Insitu.
One RQ-21A Blackjack UAV system arrived in Thailand this month, and it will soon become the latest UAV type to join the Royal Thai Navy (RTN).
The RQ-21 system is currently being assembled before it is delivered to the RTN’s 104 Air Squadron, Wing 1 of the Royal Thai Naval Air Division.
It will operate under the Maritime Enforcement Command Centre (MECC), performing maritime patrols and reconnaissance missions along the coasts of Thailand in both the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman coastline. The MECC also works closely with the US Indo-Pacific Command and its narcotics unit.
Interest in the
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Air Warfare
-
![BAE Systems reveals new GCAP demonstrator design with plans to fly by 2027]()
BAE Systems reveals new GCAP demonstrator design with plans to fly by 2027
A key part in the trinational Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), this is the first crewed supersonic aircraft demonstrator to be built and developed in the UK in more than 40 years.
-
![Anduril’s Barracuda-100M completes latest successful test flights]()
Anduril’s Barracuda-100M completes latest successful test flights
The munitions variant of the Barrauda-100 autonomous air vehicle is being tested for the US Army’s High-Speed Manoeuvrable Missile (HSMM) testbed programme, with further flight tests expected in 2026.
-
![Norway cleared for possible $2.6 billion HH-60W helicopter FMS]()
Norway cleared for possible $2.6 billion HH-60W helicopter FMS
The possible sale for nine HH-60W by the US government could make Norway the first Foreign Military Sale customer for the rescue and combat helicopter and add to the country’s ongoing acquisition of Sikorsky-made helicopters.
-
![Bell selected over Boeing to build DARPA SPRINT X-Plane]()
Bell selected over Boeing to build DARPA SPRINT X-Plane
The programme first began in 2023 with Bell and Boeing’s concepts progressing to Phase 1B, in which testing has been carried out over the last year.
