South Africa’s Denel Dynamics unveils its latest UAV at AAD 2008

South Africa’s Denel Dynamics has unveiled its latest UAV at Africa Aerospace and Defence 2008. The latest iteration of the Seeker family, the Seeker 400, updates the company’s UAV capabilities and is some 30 percent larger than the existing Seeker II. The new twin boom, pusher prop Tactical UAV has an endurance of some 16 hours according to programme manager Steve Ferreira. The UAV, which already has an undisclosed launch customer, also has an increased payload and is capable of carrying up to 100kg of payload plus fuel. The company has also ensured that the Seeker 400 has dual-band datalinks allowing the UAV to carry multiple payloads. As well as electro-optical systems the company is also offering synthetic aperture radar and signals intelligence payloads depending on customer demand. The system is modular and will allow operators to swap out payloads dependent on the mission set. The Seeker 400 can operate at distances up to 250km and has an operating ceiling of 18,000 ft. A typical Seeker 400 system is expected to consist of between four and six air vehicles, a mission control unit (which has a large amount of commonality with the existing Seeker II ground control station), modular payloads and a tracking and communications unit. Ferreira said that the company had high hopes for the system, which will be marketed world-wide. He said that the Seeker 400 addressed the changing needs of customers in the fast paced world of UAV development. As well as the undisclosed customer the company is also hoping to get the South African Defence Forces interested in Seeker 400.