Young officers from Nigerian Air Force School of Engineers, Aircraft Design Centre, Kaduna, yesterday, dazzled the Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Ita Okon Bassey-Ewa when they displayed to him an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, UAV, referred to as drone, which could fly non-stop for about four hours at 3000 feet.

The drone was conceptualised, designed and built by them in Kaduna under the direct supervision of the Provost of the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, Institute of Technology, Prof. Emmanuel Ezugwu.

According to officials of the institute, the drone’s empenage was about three metres while the wing span was about half a metre.

The four officers, all Flight Lieutenants, said it was a three-year effort in collaboration with Cranfield University of United Kingdom with funds from the Federal Government.

The officers who asked that all the credit for break through be given to the Commandant of the school and Chief of Air Staff pleaded that their names be not mentioned in the press.

The school had earlier displayed a conceptualised model of an ab-initio training fighter aircraft known as Farawa (meaning “the beginning” in Hausa) for the Air Force just as it was trying to design a Nigerian-made Air Beattle, AB-18, for the Air Force.

The four officers had bagged Masters degrees in various fields related to avionics from Cranfield University, after their first degrees from the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna.

They told Vanguard: “We designed and built this UAV based on the pressing needs of our country today. The vehicle can be used in pipeline monitoring, border patrol, mapping and disaster monitoring. Other areas of use include maritime patrol, aerial surveillance and pest monitoring.

“The vehicle can fly at 3000 feet, and remain airborne for four hours using petrol for now. The first one we built is called Amebo 1. The second one is Amebo 2 and is an improvement over the first.
“If we keep getting the right support as we are getting now, we will accomplish our mission for the country.”



http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/01/young-naf-officers-design-build-drone/

There is hope for this country with this development.

Good development.

What is a drone by the way? I have been assembling and flying radio- control model planes since I was a child by the way.SMH

Where is d picsure of d drone na?

If these young chaps get the necessary support as has been kicked off, it will spiral other great minds into showcasing their inventions and engineering feats. And i guess its left for investors to take advantage of the Nigerian market, either the people in general or government patronage to commence Industrialization of Nigeria.

erinolu: Young officers from Nigerian Air Force School of Engineers, Aircraft Design Centre, Kaduna, yesterday, dazzled the Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Ita Okon Bassey-Ewa when they displayed to him an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, UAV, referred to as drone, which could fly non-stop for about four hours at 3000 feet.

The drone was conceptualised, designed and built by them in Kaduna under the direct supervision of the Provost of the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, Institute of Technology, Prof. Emmanuel Ezugwu.

According to officials of the institute, the drone’s empenage was about three metres while the wing span was about half a metre.

The four officers, all Flight Lieutenants, said it was a three-year effort in collaboration with Cranfield University of United Kingdom with funds from the Federal Government.

The officers who asked that all the credit for break through be given to the Commandant of the school and Chief of Air Staff pleaded that their names be not mentioned in the press.

The school had earlier displayed a conceptualised model of an ab-initio training fighter aircraft known as Farawa (meaning “the beginning” in Hausa) for the Air Force just as it was trying to design a Nigerian-made Air Beattle, AB-18, for the Air Force.

The four officers had bagged Masters degrees in various fields related to avionics from Cranfield University, after their first degrees from the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna.

They told Vanguard: “We designed and built this UAV based on the pressing needs of our country today. The vehicle can be used in pipeline monitoring, border patrol, mapping and disaster monitoring. Other areas of use include maritime patrol, aerial surveillance and pest monitoring.

“The vehicle can fly at 3000 feet, and remain airborne for four hours using petrol for now. The first one we built is called Amebo 1. The second one is Amebo 2 and is an improvement over the first.
“If we keep getting the right support as we are getting now, we will accomplish our mission for the country.”



http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/01/young-naf-officers-design-build-drone/

Kudos to Nigeria military if this is true,i think by aerial surveillance and border patrol they were referring to security issues bothering the country esp. boko haram.Why did they asked that their names be not mentioned in the press?Could they be hiding their identities from the boko boys incase their product starts yielding dividends to JTF and SSS?

instead of the government to tap the resources from the guy, they will neva think of that until the US airforce snatched him.