The LAPAN LSU-02 is a fixed-wing Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR) drone of Indonesian origin. Like other defense powers, the country has established a local industry supporting the design, development, and manufacture of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). For its part in the Indonesian military war machine, the LSU-02 is a scouting drone and can operate from prepared runways on land or from the deck of a warship.
LAPAN is the "Lembaga Penelitian dan Penerbangan Nasional", translating to the "National Institute of Aeronautics and Space".
The aircraft sees a straight, shoulder-mounted mainplane with clipped tips. The tail comprises a twin-boom arrangement with twin vertical tail fins straddling a shared horizontal plane. The fuselage is slab-sided with a sloped nosecone assembly. Under the aircraft is held the optics / sensors set in a traversing blister pack offering unfettered views of the terrain below. A fixed, wheeled tricycle undercarriage is used for ground running. The engine is housed at the rear of the airframe and drives a multi-bladed propeller unit arranged in pusher fashion.
Operational service of the LSU-02 series began in 2012 and continues today through a limited stock of active airframes. The complete system has a running length of 5.6 feet with a wingspan measuring 7.9 feet. Its empty weight is 33lb compared to an MTOW of 40lb to which some 6.6lb of payload are supported. The arrangement coupled with the power supply allow for a top speed of 62 miles-per-hour with a range out to 240 miles (roughly 5 hours of flight time) up to a ceiling of 9,800 feet.
The versatility of the unit is such that it can be used in both wartime and peacetime, supporting battlefield reconnaissance ventures as well as humanitarian, security, border enforcement, and structural review sorties as needed.
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Specifications
Lembaga Penelitian dan Penerbangan (LAPAN) - Indonesia Manufacturer(s)
Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represents the most popular modern mainplane arrangement.
Shoulder-Mounted
Mainplanes are mounted at the upper section of the fuselage, generally at the imaginary line intersecting the pilot's shoulders.
Straight
The planform involves use of basic, straight mainplane members.
1 x Conventional engine driving two-bladed propeller at rear of fuselage in pusher arrangement. Propulsion
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