Article Posted on : - Feb 28, 2014

Seeker II UAV system. Photo: Denel Dynamics

CENTURION, S A (BNS): With successful flight tests Denel Dynamics plans to commence production of its Seeker 400 unmanned aircraft system after a three year development process.

CEO of Denel Dynamics, Tsepo Monaheng, said the Company will start production of the Seeker 400 for clients in the second half of the year.

The first flight tests of Seeker 400 were carried out at the Alkantpan range in the Northern Cape focused on performance parameters.

A second round of tests, due to be conducted in March, will determine the craft's production readiness, the South African Defence firm said.

According to Denel, the UAV can be used for a wide range of military and civilian missions, including disaster response and maritime surveillance. It can stay up in the air for 16 hours at altitudes of up to 18 000 ft.

The Seeker 400 aircraft has a cruising speed of 150km/h and carry a payload of 100kg. It has a wingspan of 10 metres and is launched from conventional airfields.

The Seeker 400 has the ability to simultaneously carry two different payloads such as an electro-optical payload and synthetic aperture radar and a completely digital video system.

These payloads can be changed over in the field, allowing the Seeker to be tailored for different tactical situations.

The 250km line-of-sight range can be doubled through the deployment of a tactical ground station. This enables the Seeker 400 to relay data to ground stations and field commanders over extended distances.

Its forerunner, the Seeker 2 has undergone further developments by Denel Dynamics, and has since rebranded as the Seeker 200.