Thai navy introduces Blackjack into service

15th December 2021 - 20:52 GMT | by Sompong Nondhasa in Bangkok

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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.

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Author

Sompong Nondhasa

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Sompong, a Thai national living in Bangkok, is a fulltime photojournalist and editor of the …

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