@jakumo
Ol boy, i dey envy you o, you get your own drone?
Abeg, you get second hand one you fit dash me?
I wan install my Canon on it to dey take aerial pictures

Pangea there is nothing wrong with installing off-the-shelf components in Nigerian-assembled drones, since that will speed up the process of getting airborne in order to test effective range, video downlink clarity, aerodynamics and payload limitations.

The chinese-made electronics currently available for RC aircraft is truly impressive for hobby-grade technology, and the prices will drop like they do with all things electronics. Johnny B. Goode is on the right path, embarking on this drone program, which is WAY cheaper than going for manned surveillance aircraft. Go Johnny Go !

Pangea: @jakumo
Ol boy, i dey envy you o, you get your own drone?
Abeg, you get second hand one you fit dash me?
I wan install my Canon on it to dey take aerial pictures

Yes sir indeed, Pangea. I fly my own RC aircraft from the comfort of my home, where I constructed a ground station at the base of my 120-foot tall antenna. It will take off and land on any grassy field, is Lipo battery-powered and equipped with a camera whose resolution is acceptable for my civilian purposes. RC control is old-school 72Mhz, while my video link is on the 1.2GHz frequency. E get as e be.

Where was the 15 Airforce Pilots who wud 'fly' this craft trained? In-country or abroad?

I bet I can build that from the shelves of hobbylobby

Ki-Katanga:


There's a GoPro mounted on the horizontal Stabiliser.

On the NAF 611 flight, there are four cameras on board. A Gimbal camera below Fuselage (black) close to the nose wheel, A GoPro 3+ on the Horizontal Stabilizer, a GoPro 3 on the left wing, and a GoPro 2 on the bottom of the fuselage, just behind the Gimbal Camera. Take a closer look at the video.

The Gulma is just the beginning of the Nigerian UAV road map and this release is the first with sensors strictly for surveillance. The Gulma is not for Armament.

The Gulma's role is straight and simple: TAKE A CAMERA UP INTO THE SKY, BE ABLE TO LOCK ON TO A TARGET, TRACK CONTINUOUSLY, AND SEND BACK LIVE IMAGERY. If it can take off, sustain its flight for the designed endurance, operate as far out as the intended range, operate reliably as high up as the design ceiling, fly automatically through way points, and return back and land safely, then it can perform its role of taking the camera payload up high for image analysts to do their job. The Gulma is just like a giant cordless boom taking a camera up high.

The NAF 610 & 611 videos were taken during a low altitude test flights of the Gulma. At the designed loiter altitude, the engine noise is not an issue. At cruise and loiter speeds, the altitude is way to high to easily hear the sound of the engine. The Israeli Aerostar (also in the NAF's inventory) is way noisier at same altitude for sure. Gas engine powered aircrafts are generally noisy at low altitude, and when running at very high rpm.

The Gulma is the first and in no way is meant to compare with other countries UAVs. It is the start and I am personally happy it starts now and not in the future. Anyone out there who has something and is willing to bring it to the table, should come sit on the table and contribute. Great guys out there, please do contact the NAF and help contribute to this project that will move the nation forward... Lets not complain, downcast or compare... For once, lets have some little faith in ourselves and what we can do.

The NAF Air Expo is coming up in April 2014 and am sure the NAF will be working on providing full demonstration of the Gulma in range, ceiling, endurance and sensory capabilities. Plan to attend if you're interested in having some doubts cleared.

That right there is just a freaking RC plane and not a drone, I see more sophisticated RC planes in the park in the summer time. Who ever sold Nigeria that rubbish needs to be prosecuted.

taharqa: Where was the 15 Airforce Pilots who wud 'fly' this craft trained? In-country or abroad?

Training for UAV pilots is dirt cheap. A single $200 simulator pakage, which comes with its own dedicated Mode 2 RC hand-held transmitter, can be used to train a dozen pilots without the need to engage in the high cost of sending trainees outside of Nigeria.

The summation of the equipment needed for this method of training would be one desktop computer, and one RC simulator package, both at a total cost of less than 80 thousand naira.

Jakumo:

Training for UAV pilots is dirt cheap. A single $200 simulator pakage, which comes with its own dedicated Mode 2 RC hand-held transmitter, can be used to train a dozen pilots without the need to engage in the high cost of sending trainees outside of Nigeria.

The summation of the equipment needed for this method of training would be one desktop computer, and one RC simulator package, both at a total cost of less than 80 thousand naira.

NAF need to get you for consultancy
And I'm sure you will do it for free for fatherland.
But they will rather hire some shady Lebanese that will charge them millions of dollars for toys-R-us plastic planes!

Fantastic, did anyone notice that the blue bus is also made in Nigeria (Innoson)

We are getting there!!!

Freewilly: That right there is just a freaking RC plane and not a drone, I see more sophisticated RC planes in the park in the summer time. Who ever sold Nigeria that rubbish needs to be prosecuted.

The Airframe and structure was designed by the NAF. The entire aircraft composite was built off the mould in the NAF base. There is a fully functioning composite manufacturing unit in place. There is a wind tunnel which the president & CNC commissioned on same day. No one sold anything structures. Its fully indigenous, by Nigerians on Nigerian soil. Come visit AFIT.

Sidajili:

The Airframe and structure was designed by the NAF. The entire aircraft composite was built off the mould in the NAF base. There is a fully functioning composite manufacturing unit in place. There is a wind tunnel which the president & CNC commissioned on same day. No one sold anything structures. Its fully indigenous, by Nigerians on Nigerian soil. Come visit AFIT.

Mr. Sidaji, i like your matured way of responding to our unbelief
Please keep it up

Sidajili:

The Airframe and structure was designed by the NAF. The entire aircraft composite was built off the mould in the NAF base. There is a fully functioning composite manufacturing unit in place. There is a wind tunnel which the president & CNC commissioned on same day. No one sold anything structures. Its fully indigenous, by Nigerians on Nigerian soil. Come visit AFIT.

Wow I take back everything I said, I didn't know the aircraft was build in Nigeria. It may not be the most sophisticated out there, but it's an achievement in the right direction. I was totally wrong. Thank you for pointing that out to me, in a very polite way without insulting me like most folks on NL.

scipher: before your father settled down (before and after bachelorhood) he has not created a 'hand fan' in his life, let alone, commission any project.. once they start mass production of that drone, I'll personally buy an armed version to kill your entire family lineage.

Must you reduce every discourse to the banal level of insults and abuse

Jakumo:

Training for UAV pilots is dirt cheap. A single $200 simulator pakage, which comes with its own dedicated Mode 2 RC hand-held transmitter, can be used to train a dozen pilots without the need to engage in the high cost of sending trainees outside of Nigeria.

The summation of the equipment needed for this method of training would be one desktop computer, and one RC simulator package, both at a total cost of less than 80 thousand naira.

First off, all pilots were trained in country and I am one of the instructor Pilots.

RC Flight simulators help provide the initial muscle memory training and introduction to orientation of the RC aircraft. Past this, the rest is field and hands on. Furthermore, while RC piloting skills are foundational to UAV Piloting, this is only restricted to the External Pilots performing Launch & Recovery and there is a difference to how UAV are flown. Even if you are a good RC pilot, there is still a lot to learn before you can fly UAVs.

In RC Piloting, the pilot flies free style. In UAV Piloting, the pilot flies by numbers, by the rules, within limits and strictly by mission requirements. So its not just buying a cheap N80k RC pilot type sim like RealFlight and spending some hours buzzing some dots on the computer screen and expecting someone to take an expensive payload up in the sky... the UAV is going airborne for one reason - Camera Payload.

The skills of UAV flying are way ahead from RC. The 15 pilots have gone through very rigorous training. Time, efforts, years of experience have been put together to produce these 15 Pioneer pilots who have successfully distinguished themselves and earned their well deserved wings.

It is a very good start. I believe this model will continue to evolve till we have something we can all be proud of.

Kudos to the engineers.

Sidajili:

The Airframe and structure was designed by the NAF. The entire aircraft composite was built off the mould in the NAF base. There is a fully functioning composite manufacturing unit in place. There is a wind tunnel which the president & CNC commissioned on same day. No one sold anything structures. Its fully indigenous, by Nigerians on Nigerian soil. Come visit AFIT.

Impressive!

automaticcars:


Below is what we know as drone; not the toy you are all rejoicing around for....

Watch the video and compare.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDOUxtPkm5Q

WHAT HAVE YOU CONTRIBUTED TO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND WELL BEING ?

YOU PATHETIC WRETCHED BEING

Sidajili:

The Airframe and structure was designed by the NAF. The entire aircraft composite was built off the mould in the NAF base. There is a fully functioning composite manufacturing unit in place. There is a wind tunnel which the president & CNC commissioned on same day. No one sold anything structures. Its fully indigenous, by Nigerians on Nigerian soil. Come visit AFIT.

Please do well to visit this site. http://beegeagle./ we've got lots of questions we would love you to answer. Thanks.

Henry120:

Please do well to visit this site. http://beegeagle./ we've got lots of questions we would love you to answer. Thanks.

Ok, Just checked now. I see you've posted something already... that should suffice for now. Many thanks, Henry.

@Sijadiji, Thank you very much for the Info. I hv bn so enlightened. Plz, do post more often.... Can you plz also info us of d progressional plans of this NAF UAV Program ie what reali do they want to achieve with this program going forward??

Sidajili:

Ok, Just checked now. I see you've posted something already... that should suffice for now. Many thanks, Henry.

No P. Please do visit the blog as much as possible, so as to answer our many lingering questions. Infact, a blogger already has a question for you.

Sidajili:


First off, all pilots were trained in country and I am one of the instructor Pilots.

RC Flight simulators help provide the initial muscle memory training and introduction to orientation of the RC aircraft. Past this, the rest is field and hands on. Furthermore, while RC piloting skills are foundational to UAV Piloting, this is only restricted to the External Pilots performing Launch & Recovery and there is a difference to how UAV are flown. Even if you are a good RC pilot, there is still a lot to learn before you can fly UAVs.

In RC Piloting, the pilot flies free style. In UAV Piloting, the pilot flies by numbers, by the rules, within limits and strictly by mission requirements. So its not just buying a cheap N80k RC pilot type sim like RealFlight and spending some hours buzzing some dots on the computer screen and expecting someone to take an expensive payload up in the sky... the UAV is going airborne for one reason - Camera Payload.

The skills of UAV flying are way ahead from RC. The 15 pilots have gone through very rigorous training. Time, efforts, years of experience have been put together to produce these 15 Pioneer pilots who have successfully distinguished themselves and earned their well deserved wings.

It is indeed an honor to hear directly from one of the officers involved in this bold initiative, Sidajili. Your patient explanations here in this forum will go a long way towards enlightening the public about the enormous monetary savings Nigeria's UAV project will accrue in the coming years, but more importantly, the strategic and tactical benefits of remotely piloted aircraft in the sub-Saharan Africa of today.

I do apologize if I gave the impression that the extensive training entailed in a military-funded UAV project could be fully replicated by spending some leisure hours enjoying a commercially available RC simulator package, yet I would hazard a guess that those lowly RC simulator packages are utilized at least during the introductory phase of military UAV pilots' training both in Nigeria and in the West.

Definitely RC sims are about the fastest way to acquire the right reflexes when flying craft that are within line of sight, so the pliot knows to reverse the direction of aileron and rudder inputs, but not that of the elevator, when the craft is flying inbound. And yes I do appreciate that basic muscle-memory training is but the opening chapter of the book your own trainees will master cover-to-cover before they get to fly real missions from that desktop or mobile ground station.

Please keep the flag of technical innovation flying high, Sidajili, and keep us informed of your project's achievements, within the limits of what is not classified. And of course if one your UAVs spots my area-UAV at 1000 feet AGL over Lagos, Nigeria, instruct your pilots to look out for my dipped wing of salutation, so that they will not try and force me to "park well".

Can you lay down the full specs please...

Besides, have you any idea on the upcoming EOD robot?

And

When was the wind tunnel completed ? Pics would be nice too.

I would like to see the Nigerian air force invite Nigerians in the diaspora who are into drone tech. to come home and help them to improve this shiit. We need smart civilians working for the military.

This Gulma is a phucking toy
How can a drone make so much noise?
How can a drone be started by manually rolling the propeller?
How is it the drone has to be held by human hands to steady it whilst taxiing and before take off?
No cameras, no payload on this drone!
A president that has his priorities right will tell his Air-force chief to sack the 'Engineers' that did this gimmick but no not Ebele Jonathan
SR was right to say he launched a drone which did not fly and the Nigerian Air Force should have kept their peace rather than release video of this toy which Boko Haram will shoot down with bows and arrows talk less of militants using RPGs
This is a bad joke mehn

ochukoccna: This Gulma is a phucking toy
How can a drone make so much noise?
How can a drone be started by manually rolling the propeller?
How is it the drone has to be held by human hands to steady it whilst taxiing and before take off?
No cameras, no payload on this drone!
A president that has his priorities right will tell his Air-force chief to sack the 'Engineers' that did this gimmick but no not Ebele Jonathan
SR was right to say he launched a drone which did not fly and the Nigerian Air Force should have kept their peace rather than release video of this toy which Boko Haram will shoot down with bows and arrows talk less of militants using RPGs
This is a bad joke mehn

You need to stop drinking that cheap wine, dude, because your every question is obviously alcohol-fuelled.

Jakumo:

You need to stop drinking that cheap wine, dude, because your every question is obviously alcohol-fuelled.

You even have the strength to reply the mo.ron.

.This is soooo 1990.

Henry120:

No P. Please do visit the blog as much as possible, so as to answer our many lingering questions. Infact, a blogger already has a question for you.

Oga Henry, my comments are awaiting moderation...

Sidajili:

Oga Henry, my comments are awaiting moderation...

Ok chief. Nice job on the drone. Our nation is grateful for this giant leap.

taharqa: The IJIOTS who yterday were saying that d UAV was not operational and could not fly, are now changing their blacken minds after seeing d UAV working: they are now showing us Pics of Isreali Weapon drone and asking us to compare, as if they didn't just read that d drone in question is a Surveillance drone and that whilst Isreal hv had yearssssss in d technology, Nigeria is just STARTING..... Una nova see anytin yet. Nigeria wud keep growing unda GEJ, and una Frustrations go surely cause una severe heart attack. Shameless, Pathetic HATERS

You took the words right out of my mouth!
Their antics and change of goal posts has since stopped amazing me, infact this is the closest they can come to conceeding defeat.
One person omo_blabla even suggested he be contacted for the next generation drones...
While ochu_kinikini wants GEJ to start sacking the engineers who designed it!
Sontin u didn't see in all the years of the saviors of Nigeria's rule... GEJ's admin is setting the precedence.

Mehn Nigeria has all the makings of a great Nation but them go gree??