Denel’s new Seeker 400 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) completed its first round of flight tests earlier this month at the Alkantpan test range in the Northern Cape, after a three year development process.
The test flights were successful and will be followed by another round of testing in March ahead of production starting around the second half of this year.
“This is a remarkable achievement for Denel and again confirms our global leadership position in the design and manufacturing of UAVs,” said Tsepo Monaheng, the CEO of Denel Dynamics.
The Seeker 400 was originally due to fly a couple of years ago but was delayed due to contracting and certification issues, according to manufacturer Denel Dynamics. Denel’s annual report for the 2012/13 financial year also identified “complexities with the key subsystems” as another reason for “significant variation in the programme schedule, including a delay of the maiden flight test.”
The Seeker 400 was displayed in mock-up form at the 2010 Africa Aerospace and Defence exhibition. It has an endurance of 16 hours, a ceiling of 18 000 feet and a cruising speed is 150 km/h. Denel Dynamics says it is inaudible at altitudes higher than 1 000 metres above the ground and invisible to someone on the ground when flying at typical operating altitudes of between 4 500 and 9 000 feet.
The Seeker 400 can carry 100 kg and this can include two payloads at the same time, including electro-optical/infrared and radar as well as a laser rangefinder and illuminator for target designation. Denel says an electronic surveillance payload is available for the detection and location of radar emitters. Future upgrades will include satellite communications, and sense-and-avoid capability in order to obtain civil aviation certification.
Currently, the Seeker 400 has a range of 250 km, because it uses only line-of-sight communications, but it could be upgraded to use satellite communications, which would allow it to operate at much greater ranges. With the use of the existing tactical ground station (TGS), the range may be extended to 750 km.
Denel Dynamics is executing a production contract for the UAV’s launch customer (which previously operated the Seeker I) and has also attracted strong interest from other potential clients, with most demand expected to come from the Middle East, Southeast Asia and South America. Denel is promoting the Seeker 400 to Seeker II customers, as the new UAV can be flown with Seeker II control stations.
Monaheng said the Seeker 400 is a highlight in South Africa’s development of local UAVs, which started in the mid-1980s. Its forerunner, the Seeker II, has been deployed in operational service by international clients, including in Afghanistan. The Seeker was also the first UAV in the world cleared for operations in controlled airspace when it was deployed to monitor potential hotspots during South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994.
The Seeker II has undergone further developments by Denel Dynamics, and has since rebranded as the Seeker 200, and offered to clients who require a medium endurance and dual payload capability offered by the latest version.
