South Africa – Unmanned Air Vehicle to Make Maiden Flight in 2012

South Africa – The Seeker 400 prototype, which is an unmanned air vehicle, is due to make its maiden flight early 2012, Denel Dynamics said.

“The prototype of Denel Dynamics’ latest Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV), the Seeker 400, has been completed and is due to make its maiden flight in the first quarter of 2012,” said Tsepo Monaheng, Executive Manager for Denel UAV.

Benefits of the UAV include national security, crime fighting, disaster management, election monitoring and search and rescue.

Monaheng said Denel’s decision to invest in the aircraft, which is funded from Denel’s balance sheet, was based on global requirements for such capability.

Denel said the Seeker 400, which is deployable in most conditions, is larger and has more capabilities than the previous Seeker II. It is capable of staying in the air for 16 hours and can simultaneously operate two payloads. It has a range of 250km but with the use of the existing tactical ground station, it can be extended to 750km.

Israel and the US dominate in the global market which is estimated at $14billion per annum, however there is scope for South Africa to use local skills to create UAVs.

It is planned that weapons be added to the aircraft with several countries having already expressed interest in an armed version of the UAV.

The New York City police department may soon be operating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) “as a law enforcement tool” in New York City, giving that agency the capability to monitor activities in city parks, on streets, and in other public areas from the air.