LAPAN LSU-02

The LAPAN LSU-02, short for LAPAN Surveillance UAV-02, is an unmanned aerial vehicle created by Indonesia’s National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN). First built in 2012, it serves both civilian and military roles. The Indonesian military considers it a tactical UAV because, despite its size, it can operate over long distances—up to 300 kilometers, with a theoretical maximum of 450 kilometers. It set a national record for the longest-range UAV produced in Indonesia.

Operational history

In 2013, as part of an agreement between LAPAN and the Indonesian Navy, the LSU-02 was tested during a joint military exercise in the Java Sea. Launched from the helicopter deck of a corvette, its job was to provide target surveillance for an Exocet MM40 missile.

The UAV can loiter autonomously near a target at an average speed of 70 kph. During that exercise, it flew for 2 hours and 45 minutes, covering roughly 200 kilometers. On June 2, 2013, it earned a national record from the Indonesian World Records Museum (MURI) for the farthest distance flown by a UAV, completing a nonstop round trip from Pameungpeuk airfield in Garut Regency to Nusawiru in Pangandaran Regency—a total of 200 kilometers.

In 2016, an LSU-02 was used to photograph 300 kilometers of Java’s southern coastline as part of a project to update Indonesia’s territorial coastal mapping. It captured images from Parangtritis, Yogyakarta, to Popoh Beach, Trenggalek, East Java, and continued along Pacitan Beach, East Java, covering its 100-kilometer coastline.

Development

In 2018, LAPAN unveiled an upgraded version called the LSU-02 NGLD (New Generation, Long Distance) at the National Technological Expo in Pekanbaru, held to commemorate National Technology Awakening Day. This version broke its earlier MURI record on July 17, 2019, achieving a flight range of 405 kilometers.

In 2021, LAPAN tested a hybrid VTOL version of the LSU-02 at its facility in Pameungpeuk, Garut, West Java. This variant features extra rotors mounted at the front and rear of a spar on each wing. Its maximum takeoff weight increased by 5 kilograms to 23 kilograms, and its fuel capacity is 3.8 kilograms, theoretically supporting 2.5 to 3 hours of flight. The LSU-02 VTOL was designed primarily for mapping, surveillance, and monitoring.