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Indonesian Aerospace Elang Hitam

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Elang Hitam
Elang Hitam rolled out in IAe hangar, December 2019
General information
TypeUnmanned combat aerial vehicle
National originIndonesia
ManufacturerIndonesian Aerospace
Designer
Indonesian Aerospace, BRIN[N 1]
StatusUnder development
Primary userIndonesian National Armed Forces
Number built1 prototype
History
First flight28 July 2025; 1 day ago (2025-07-28)

The Elang Hitam (English: Black Eagle)[1] is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) being developed by Indonesian Aerospace (IAe / PT DI) in cooperation with a consortium of six other institutions. This drone was first shown on 30 December 2019 at the IAe hangar in Bandung, West Java.[2]

The Elang Hitam is the result of collaboration in the formation of a consortium consisting of the Agency for Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN), Ministry of Defense, Indonesian Air Force, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Indonesian Aerospace, and PT LEN Industri.[3]

Development history

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The development of a MALE UCAV was initiated by the Ministry of Defense's Research and Development department in 2015.[4] The UAV was designed for the needs of the Indonesian Air Force.[3] The development started with preliminary design and basic design, which was marked with the construction of a wind tunnel model and its test in 2016. Another wind tunnel model was constructed and tested in 2018.[5]

A consortium consisted of Agency for Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), Directorate General of Defense Potential of Ministry of Defense, Indonesian Air Force, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Indonesian Aerospace, and PT LEN Industri was formed in 2017.[4] In 2019, LAPAN entered as a member of the consortium, and took part in the development of the MALE UCAV.[3] During development, the UAV was formerly known as (Indonesian: Pesawat Udara Nirawak jenis Medium Altitude Long Endurance, lit. 'Unmanned MALE aircraft').[2]

The first prototype was rolled out on 30 December 2019 at the Indonesian Aerospace hangar.[6] Indonesian Aerospace planned to built two more prototypes in 2020. The first prototype would be used for pre-certification developmental testing, with the other two to be used for test flights and structural tests, respectively.[4] Two more additional prototypes were planned be constructed, in total five prototypes would be built.[7]

First flight is expected to take place at the end of 2020. The Elang Hitam, according to its development plan, will be armed with missiles and capable of flying up to 30 hours non-stop with a cruising altitude of up to 23,000 ft. The specification is said to match the Chinese-made CH-4 Rainbow drone.[8][9]

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the first flight which was originally scheduled to fly for the first time in 2020 has been postponed to August 2021.[10] The first flight was attempted in December 2021, but it failed.[11][12]

Two members of the Elang Hitam consortium, BPPT and LAPAN, was dissolved in September 2021 and merged into National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).[13]

On 1 June 2022, PT LEN Industri contract to develop Elang Hitam mission system is renewed by Indonesian Defense Ministry.[14]

On 17 July 2022, Indonesia announced a collaboration with Turkey to manufacture air-to-surface missiles that can be easily mounted on UAVs.[15]

Chairman of BRIN Laksana Tri Handoko stated that development of the Elang Hitam as a military platform was discontinued as of 15 September 2022.[16] The cancellation were due to its failed test flight attempt in December 2021 and difficulties on acquiring key technologies from foreign partners. Instead, the Elang Hitam would be repurposed for civilian use.[11][12]

In October 2024, the Defense Industrial Policy Committee (KKIP) decided that the development of Elang Hitam was returned as a UCAV for military purposes.[17]

Elang Hitam successfully carried out its maiden flight at Kertajati Airport, West Java on 28 July 2025.[18]

Specifications

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Data from LAPAN,[19] BRIN,[20] IAe[21] SINDOgrafis[22]

General characteristics

  • Capacity: 300 kg (661 lb)
  • Length: 8.65 m (28 ft 5 in)
  • Wingspan: 16 m (52 ft 6 in)
  • Height: 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in)
  • Empty weight: 575 kg (1,268 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 1,300 kg (2,866 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 915 iS turbocharged engine , 104 kW (139 hp)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 235 km/h (146 mph, 127 kn)
  • Range: 250 km (160 mi, 130 nmi) LOS
  • Endurance: 30 hours
  • Service ceiling: 9.144 m (30.000 ft)

Avionics

Armaments

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ previously BPPT and LAPAN

Citations

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  1. ^ Parameswaran, Prashanth (31 December 2019). "What's in Indonesia First Indigenous Medium-Range Strike Capable Drone?". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 2 January 2020.
  2. ^ a b Chuanren, Chen (3 January 2020). "Indonesia Launches Domestically-built Armed UAV Program". Aviation International News.
  3. ^ a b c "BPPT Pamer Drone Pertahanan Buatan Indonesia" (in Indonesian). CNN Indonesia. 30 December 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Wahyudi, M Zaid (30 March 2020). "Elang Hitam Penjaga Kedaulatan Negara". Kompas.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  5. ^ "Drone Elang Hitam Inovasi BPPT dan Konsorsium Lokal, Tampil di Pameran Industri Pertahanan". Badan Pengkajian dan Penerapan Teknologi (in Indonesian). 24 January 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.[dead link]
  6. ^ Siregar, Efrem (30 December 2019). "Ngeri! RI Punya Drone 'Mata-Mata' Bernama Elang Hitam" (in Indonesian). CNBC Indonesia. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  7. ^ Perdana, Gilang (30 December 2019). "Proyek Drone MALE Kombatan "Elang Hitam," PT DI Siapkan Lima Prototipe untuk Raih Sertifikasi". indomiliter.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  8. ^ "Drone Elang Hitam Siap Diakselerasi 2 Tahun untuk Uji Terbang". Badan Pengkajian dan Penerapan Teknologi (in Indonesian). 27 January 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.[dead link]
  9. ^ "Indonesia to Speed Up Development of Elang Hitam UCAV". Global Business Press. 26 October 2020.
  10. ^ Maskur, Fatkhul (28 January 2021). "PUNA MALE Elang Hitam Ditargetkan Terbang Perdana Agustus 2021 | Ekonomi". Bisnis.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  11. ^ a b Yahya, Achmad Nasrudin (20 September 2022). "Kendala Teknologi Kunci Penyebab Proyek "Drone" Elang Hitam Dialihkan". Kompas.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  12. ^ a b Rospari, Rohmat (27 December 2022). "Meski Gagal dalam Ujicoba, BRIN Tegaskan Proyek Drone Elang Hitam Jalan Terus ke Arah Versi Sipil". edisi.co.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  13. ^ Safutra, Ilham (8 September 2021). "LIPI, BPPT, Lapan, dan Batan Resmi Dilebur ke BRIN". JawaPos (in Indonesian). Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  14. ^ "Penandatanganan Kontrak Joint Production PTTA Mission System Klas MALE TA. 2022". kemhan.go.id (in Indonesian). 1 June 2022.
  15. ^ Rahmat, Ridzwan (22 July 2022). "Indonesia collaborates with Turkey on UAV-mounted air-to-surface missiles". Janes.com. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022.
  16. ^ Rahmat, Ridzwan. "Indonesia pulls plug on strike-capable military UAV programme". Janes.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022.
  17. ^ Marison, Walda (11 March 2025). Setiawan, Agus (ed.). "KSAU tinjau proses pengembangan Drone Elang Hitam di PT DI". Antara News (in Indonesian). Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  18. ^ "Setelah Lama Dinanti, Drone MALE Elang Hitam Akhirnya Uji Terbang Perdana dari Bandara Kertajati". indomiliter.com (in Indonesian). 29 July 2025. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  19. ^ "Ini Kecanggihan Elang Hitam, "Drone" Indonesia yang Tak Kalah dengan Buatan Amerika". LAPAN. 12 February 2021. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  20. ^ "Inovesia Triwulan 1 Januari-Maret 2020" (PDF). BRIN. December 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  21. ^ "PT. Dirgantara Indonesia (Persero)". Archived from the original on 9 March 2023.
  22. ^ Prisni, I Made Adhisanu (24 October 2020). "Drone Indonesia Elang Hitam Akan Dipadu Amunisi Presisi Turki". SINDOgrafis. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
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