Grace Ashiru
The Milkor 380, with an expansive wingspan of 18.6 meters and a top takeoff weight of 1300 kg, completed its first flight on September 19, DefenceWeb reported on October 10. The website described this event as a “giant milestone.” As per the report by DefenceWeb, “South Africa now joins the small group of nations worldwide that have successfully developed and flown a UAV of this magnitude.”
Daniel du Plessis, Marketing and Communications Director at Milkor, declared that the initial flight marks a significant milestone for both Milkor and the South African Defence Industry (SADI).
Launched in 2018, the Milkor 380 project has spent this year rigorously performing taxi tests. This UAV, entirely produced at Milkor’s Cape Town facility in South Africa, incorporates advanced technology that offers distinct benefits to military operations
Designed to excel in extended intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance operations, the aircraft can carry a substantial 210 kg of external payload. This includes a variety of weapons and sensors.
This aircraft operates with a four-stroke, four-cylinder turbocharged Rotax 915iS engine. This engine allows it to reach a service ceiling of almost 10,000 meters and achieve a top speed of 250 km/h, with a cruising speed of 150 km/h.
The introduction of the Milkor 380 is anticipated to greatly enhance the operational abilities of law enforcement, defense forces, and border patrol agencies in South Africa.
The use of unmanned drones for surveillance purposes by insurgents has significantly increased in Africa, especially in areas such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado Province. This development has led to the inclusion of UAVs in the military strategies of several African nations, primarily for surveillance tasks. According to the African Defence Forum, countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Kenya, Djibouti, the DRC, Mozambique, and South Africa are at the forefront of deploying this technology for their military operations.
Recently, Nigeria added the Wing Loong II from China to its arsenal, following its utilization of the ADCOM Yabhon Flash-20 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), originating from the United Arab Emirates, for two years. Similarly, African countries such as Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, Sudan, and Zambia have been incorporating mid-sized drones into their military capabilities, as reported by the research firm PAX.
In the year 2022, the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee put forward the Delhi Declaration. This declaration aims to address the challenges posed by the use of new and emerging technologies, including unmanned aerial systems, for terrorist activities.
In 2022, the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee endorsed the Delhi Declaration, aiming to combat the terrorist use of emerging technologies, including unmanned aerial systems.
The committee emphasized the need to extend focus further down the supply chain, targeting entities such as distributors and retailers.
Director of Conflict Armament Research Jonah Leff, mentioned, “Enhancing the tracking of sales of sensitive materials and multi-use technology that go into building UAS will lead to easier identification of questionable shipments and sales.”
The introduction of the Milkor 380 is poised to significantly boost the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sector in South Africa, thanks to its advanced technology and features. Notably, preparations are underway for the deployment of five of these UAVs for domestic operations.
An increase in defense spending across Africa is enabling governments to enhance their military capabilities by deploying new technologies. For instance, Nigeria has substantially upped its military spending, witnessing a 56% increase from 2021 to 2022. This surge in budget is primarily aimed at combating and ultimately defeating Islamic extremist factions. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which tracks global peace and conflict, there has been an average annual growth of 2.5% in military spending on the continent from 2012 to 2021, totaling US$20.1 billion.
Throughout 2023, there will be ongoing flight trials and the integration of sensors, with the Milkor 380’s first public showcase expected at the African Aerospace and Defense Exhibition in September 2024.
