Advanced new defence drone ‘puts South Africa on the map’

Relebogile Mabotja speaks with Daniel Du Plessis, Marketing Director at Milkor.

Listen to the interview in the audio below.

South African company Milkor has created the largest drone produced in Africa.

Milkor is a privately owned defence solutions provider.

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According to Du Plessis, they have successfully provided defence solutions to more than 56 countries, but their priority is the South African government.

This drone, the Milkor 380 has a 35-hour flight endurance, a 2000km range, and a maximum altitude of 9000 meters.

It has a wingspan of 18.6 metres, a maximum weight of 1.3 tonnes and can carry 220 kilogrammes.

“It has put South Africa on the map as one of only 10 countries that are able to produce a drone of that size.”

- Daniel Du Plessis, Marketing Director at Milkor

The drone has been flying for over a year, which means they can move out of the development stage and into the industrialisation phase, Du Plessis adds.

This drone is largely used for surveillance and gathering intel, and flies unmanned to get real-time information.

AI technology also allows the drone to optimise flight paths and reduces the need for any human intervention.

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.