The Nigeria Air Force has waded into the controversy over
whether President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the same drone that
his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan commissioned several years
ago.
The Air Force said the two leaders commissioned different
drones.
NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, AVM Olatokunbo
Adesanya, made the clarification in a statement issued on
Friday.
He said what President Buhari commissioned was the Air Force’s
operational unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) “Tsaigumi”, which is more
advanced than its earlier produced Amebo and Gulma UAV prototypes.
Jonathan commissioned Gulma.
Adesanya said that it has become necessary to make this
clarification, due to certain misconceptions that followed the
announcement of the induction of Tsaigumi.
” To set the records straight, while Gulma UAV is indeed the
first indigenous UAV, the newly inducted Tsaigumi UAV is the first
indigenous operational UAV.
” Both UAV types are the outcomes of research and development
efforts of a team of NAF Aerospace engineers.
” NAF’s foray into UAV development commenced in 2008, when its
students officers who were undergoing postgraduates studies in
aerospace engineering programmes at Cranfield University, UK, chose
UAV development as their research project,” he said.
He said that the student officers produced the Amebo UAV as part
of thier project, adding that it had neither autopilot nor
intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability.
He said that Gulma was an experimental UAV, which was developed
in 2013, as a technological demonstrator used to gather performance
data on UAV systems.
” The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar,
directed the NAF’s R and D (research and development ) team to
build an operational UAV, code named Tsaigumi to be used in the
North east and other theatres of operation in Nigeria,” Adesanya
said.
He said that the data gathered from Gulma prototype was plied in
the design of operational UAV, Tsaigumi, which was inducted on
Feb.15.
Tsiaguma was unveiled and inducted by President Muhammadu Buhari
on Feb.15 in Kadunna.
The spokesman of the force further said that NAF is currently
working on the “Ichoku” which when completed would be the first
indigenous unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV)
The Nigeria Air Force has waded into the controversy over
whether President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the same drone that
his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan commissioned several years
ago.
The Air Force said the two leaders commissioned different
drones.
NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, AVM Olatokunbo
Adesanya, made the clarification in a statement issued on
Friday.
He said what President Buhari commissioned was the Air Force’s
operational unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) “Tsaigumi”, which is more
advanced than its earlier produced Amebo and Gulma UAV prototypes.
Jonathan commissioned Gulma.
Adesanya said that it has become necessary to make this
clarification, due to certain misconceptions that followed the
announcement of the induction of Tsaigumi.
” To set the records straight, while Gulma UAV is indeed the
first indigenous UAV, the newly inducted Tsaigumi UAV is the first
indigenous operational UAV.
” Both UAV types are the outcomes of research and development
efforts of a team of NAF Aerospace engineers.
” NAF’s foray into UAV development commenced in 2008, when its
students officers who were undergoing postgraduates studies in
aerospace engineering programmes at Cranfield University, UK, chose
UAV development as their research project,” he said.
He said that the student officers produced the Amebo UAV as part
of thier project, adding that it had neither autopilot nor
intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability.
He said that Gulma was an experimental UAV, which was developed
in 2013, as a technological demonstrator used to gather performance
data on UAV systems.
” The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar,
directed the NAF’s R and D (research and development ) team to
build an operational UAV, code named Tsaigumi to be used in the
North east and other theatres of operation in Nigeria,” Adesanya
said.
He said that the data gathered from Gulma prototype was plied in
the design of operational UAV, Tsaigumi, which was inducted on
Feb.15.
Tsiaguma was unveiled and inducted by President Muhammadu Buhari
on Feb.15 in Kadunna.
The spokesman of the force further said that NAF is currently
working on the “Ichoku” which when completed would be the first
indigenous unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV)
Read more https://nairalaw.com/air-force-clears-drone-controversy-tsaigumi-not-gulma/