South African UAVs

摘要

South Africa has had a well-established surveillance and target UAV program since the 1980s, largely through collaborative efforts with Israel. In recent years, South Africa has struck out on its own in this field, and has been making serious efforts to begin exporting its systems. The most significant manufacturer of these systems is the state-controlled Kentron Division of Denel, but private companies such as ATE have also become involved. Seeker is its standard air force surveillance UAV and shows strong traces of past cooperative efforts with Israel. A more recent effort is the ATE Vulture system intended for a South African Defense Force artillery fire control requirement, and the first systems were delivered in 2006. Lark is a dedicated anti-radar drone. Skua is a target drone initially developed to support South African missile development efforts, but also suitable for long-range reconnaissance. Flowchart/Seraph are the names given to a technology demonstration effort to develop a stealth fuselage for future UAVs. Bateleur is a new medium-altitude/long-endurance UAV being developed by Denel.