President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Kaduna unveiled the first indigenous operational Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) nicknamed, Tsaigumi.
The Tsaigumi UAV, which was produced by The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Aerospace Engineers in collaboration with UAVision of Portugal, would be used for ISR operations in land and sea domains.
It could also be used for policing operations, disaster management, convoy protection, maritime patrol, pipeline and power line monitoring as well as mapping and border patrol duties.
In addition, it could be deployed for the protection of wildlife, weather forecast and telecast.
Additionally, in the maritime domain, the Tsaigumi UAV could be used for search and rescue, coastal monitoring and patrol of Nigeria’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
The UAV, which is capable of day and night operations, has an operational endurance in excess of 10 hours, a service ceiling of 15,000 feet and a mission radius of 100km.
It has a maximum take-off weight of 95kg and its payload is an electro-optic/infra-red camera system.
In his remarks at the induction ceremony, Buhari, who was the Special Guest of Honour, commended NAF under the leadership of Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar for his determination and unwavering commitment to Research and Development (R&D).
He added that the attainment of the technological feat is an indication that Nigeria has the needed potential to surmount other technological needs.
The President noted that UAVs are an essential feature of modern armed forces. He therefore considered it most gratifying that the NAF had gone a step further from simply acquiring them, to developing indigenous technology to produce them.
“Indeed, this outstanding accomplishment holds promise of both military and economic benefit to the nation. From the military perspective, the added capacity for ISR provided by Tsaigumi UAV would undoubtedly boost ongoing and future security operations,” the President added.
BUhari noted that as soon as the NAF UAV project moves into the next stage of mass production, it would create employment opportunities and generate revenue as Nigeria’s first military export product.
While urging the NAF to strive for greater innovation, the President promised that the Federal Government would continue to provide the needed support, for the benefit of the nation.
The President then urged state governments, ministries, departments and agencies to acquire the NAF UAV as required.
In his welcome address, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), reiterated the commitment of NAF to R&D so as to develop unprecedented capacity to surmount current and emerging security challenges.
He explained that the newly produced Tsaigumi UAV possesses certain salient physical and performance parameters, which position it as an efficient tool for curbing internal security challenges.
The CAS posited that history and modern experience attest to the role of the military in bringing about innovations that have revolutionised not just warfare capability but human capacity as a whole.
“Indeed, many of the technologies that enhance human life and safety today emerged from R&D; radar, jet engines, satellite tracking, digital photography, Internet and others,” the CAS added.
According to him, today’s feat would have been impossible if not for the unflinching financial support that the Service has continued to receive from the Federal Government. Air Marshal Abubakar added that the NAF would not rest on its oars regarding R&D.
He disclosed that having achieved enhanced ISR capability, the next step for the NAF is to perfect the development of another UAV nicknamed “Ichoku”, which would be the first indigenous Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV).