LAPAN LSU-02
The LAPAN LSU-02 is an unmanned aerial vehicle developed by the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space of Indonesia. It was developed in 2012 for both civilian and military purposes. The Indonesian military classifies it as a tactical UAV because of its ability to fly over long ranges for its size. It broke an Indonesian record for longest ranged UAV built locally.
Operational history
Under an agreement between LAPAN and the Indonesian Navy, the LSU-02 was tested during the 2013 Indonesian National Armed Forces joint exercise in the Java Sea. The UAV was launched from the helicopter deck of the corvette. The mission was to provide target surveillance for an Exocet MM40 missile. The UAV can loiter autonomously near its target, with average speed of. During the exercise, the UAV flew for 2 hours and 45 minutes, covering about 200 km. It achieved a national record for UAV with the furthest distance covered by Indonesian World Records Museum on 2 June 2013, when it flew a nonstop round trip from Pameungpeuk airfield in Garut Regency to Nusawiru in Pangandaran Regency, a distance of in total.In 2016, an LSU-02 was used to photograph of the coastline south of Java Island, as part of a data collection project to update mapping of the territorial coastline of Indonesia. The LSU-02 photographed Java's southern coastline, starting from Parangtritis, Yogyakarta, to Popoh Beach, Trenggalek, East Java. Photographing continued on Pacitan beach, East Java on its coastline.
Development
In 2018, LAPAN unveiled a new version of LSU-02, dubbed LSU-02 NGLD during National Technological Expo to commemorate National Technology Awakening Day in Pekanbaru. It then broke its previous MURI record by achieving range of flight on 17 July 2019.In 2021, LAPAN tested a hybrid VTOL version of LSU-02 drone in its facility at Pameungpeuk, Garut, West Java. This VTOL version has extra rotors positioned at the front end and rear end of a spar positioned on each wing. Its MTOW increased by 5 kg, while its fuel capacity is 3.8 kg, theoretically able to sustain 2.5–3 hours flight. LSU-02 VTOL was designed mainly for mapping, surveillance, and monitoring.