Vietnam to have unmanned military aircraft in late 2013

Vietnamese researchers are working hard in order to launch the first unmanned aircraft for military purposes of Vietnam later this year, local media reported Friday. Colonel Do Van Lap, director of the Viettel Flight Instrument Center, said the center was tasked to create the first unmanned aircraft of Vietnam in November 2011. Last December, the first unmanned aircraft was tested. It could operate along mountain slopes in harsh weather with the temperature of about 10 degree Celsius and fog. The VT-Patrol aircraft, with a wingspan of 3.3 meters, take-off weight of 26 kg, can automatically fly and transmit real-time information and images. The aircraft is made of composite to ensure durability and lightweight, reported online newspaper Vietnamnet. Through the process of flight testing, experts successfully dealt with glaciations in some parts of the aircraft when flying at a temperature below 15 degree Celsius and humidity of over 90 percent. VT-Patrol aircraft is capable of flying at a speed of 100 to 150 km per hour, and 50 km in distance. It is equipped with full High Definition (HD) infrared reconnaissance cameras which can identify and distinguish targets within a distance of 600 meters. After the initial success, the center plans to manufacture midrange unmanned aircrafts with 15-24 hours of flight time for reconnaissance and then other devices such as missiles in order to strengthen defense capabilities of the country.