ITWeb TV: SA-made drone readies for combat action

With geopolitical relations changing and simmering, South African-based defence and aerospace company Milkor is looking to double the production of its locally-developed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the Milkor 380.

So said Daniel du Plessis, communications director at Milkor, in a wide-ranging interview with ITWeb TV.

The interview followed the showcasing of the Milkor 380 in November at the G20 Summit hosted by South Africa.

The increase in the production of the 380 comes as UAVs, also known as drones, are increasingly being used for combat missions, surveillance and reconnaissance, among other use cases.

The use of drones has expanded rapidly in modern warfare, transforming how states and non-state actors conduct surveillance, target adversaries and project power.

UAVs are now central to intelligence-gathering, precision strikes and battlefield coordination, offering a relatively low-cost and low-risk alternative to traditional aircraft.

Conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have highlighted how drones can alter military tactics, enabling real-time targeting and asymmetric warfare while complicating air defences.

In the interview, Du Plessis outlines the combat readiness of the 380, highlighting its operational capabilities and preparedness for modern battlefield conditions.

The Milkor 380 is an advanced medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV. (Photograph supplied by Milkor)

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He explains that the platform is designed to operate in contested environments, with advanced systems that enhance survivability, situational awareness and mission effectiveness.

Du Plessis also details the 380’s ability to counter electronic warfare, including its resilience against jamming and signal interference, underscoring its suitability for complex, technology-driven combat scenarios where electronic threats play an increasingly decisive role.

This advanced medium-altitude, long-endurance platform exemplifies South Africa’s growing prowess in aerospace technology and its potential to enhance security, surveillance and operational efficiency, he comments.

The aircraft has a wingspan of 18.6-metres, enabling stable flight in diverse conditions. With a maximum take-off weight of 1 500kg and a payload capacity of up to 220kg, it can accommodate a variety of mission-specific equipment, including electro-optical/infrared sensors, synthetic aperture radar and precision-guided munitions.

Powered by a turboprop engine, the UAV has an operational endurance of up to 35 hours, allowing for extended loiter times over target areas.

It operates at altitudes reaching 30 000 feet, providing a strategic vantage point for surveillance while remaining beyond the reach of many ground-based threats, says the company.

The Milkor 380 features modular payload bays for integration of advanced systems, such as signals intelligence pods and electronic warfare suites.

Recent advancements include a strategic memorandum of understanding with Hanwha Systems, in South Korea, to incorporate active electronically-scanned array synthetic aperture radar, enhancing its all-weather imaging capabilities for global export markets.

According to the firm, autonomous take-off and landing systems reduce operator intervention, while satellite communication extends its range to over 4 000km in beyond-line-of-sight operations.

Du Plessis notes Milkor was started in 1981 as a purely weapons company, which was mandated to manufacture grenade launchers.

Daniel du Plessis, communications director at Milkor. (Photograph by: Lesley Moyo)

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“We still supply them [grenade launchers] today. In 2017, the company expanded its capabilities in terms of defence and security equipment and solutions. Since then, we have expanded into a naval portfolio, armoured vehicles to be able to supply to multiple state entities, such as the defence force, police and other entities.”

He says the Milkor 380 project started in 2019, and in 2023, it started flying for the first time.

The company has a staff complement of about 660 employees, and is growing its staff numbers by 35% per annum.

“This is officially the largest UAV to be manufactured and developed on the African continent and it is ranking South Africa among the top 10 countries in terms of drone development and capabilities.”

He points out that the UAV is designed to do multiple applications in terms of operations – assisting governments for border security, reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence gathering, as well as strike capabilities.

Du Plessis says the company’s participation in the G20 was a significant milestone that generated strong interest from international clients and foreign governments. He adds that the exposure helped introduce the technology to new markets, including several European countries that had previously been less familiar with this type of capability.

“As geopolitics are shifting in the world, people are looking for suppliers they can trust and rely on, and find alternatives for defence and equipment.”

On why drones are now mostly being used in wars and conflicts across the globe, Du Plessis says when Milkor was looking to expand the company, it picked up that ‘unmanning things’ was a mainstream trend that was going to evolve.

He says UAVs, ranging from small drones weighing about 1kg, to platforms of more than a tonne, are increasingly used because they significantly improve operational efficiency and the likelihood of mission success.

“For example, if you have to do reconnaissance flights in a manned aircraft, the pilots typically fly for four to six hours maximum before fatigue sets in and they will start making mistakes. With an unmanned aerial vehicle, because you can fly the thing from ground up, you have a better opportunity to gather as much information as possible and then make informed decisions, which result in efficient mission and operational success.”

The other element is the reduced risk to people, he adds. “In the modern-day scenarios, whatever hostile or combat situations you might find yourself in, be it active conflict situations, when you are engaging in these environments, you want to reduce the risk to human lives as much as possible and UAVs offer that as a platform.

“It’s an evolving environment and we are fortunate enough to have picked up on that trend earlier and now we are at a mature stage where we can offer a solution that covers a wide range of these operational requirements in the modern-day conflict environment.”

Du Plessis says the 380 is a strategic UAV that differs from smaller platforms, such as the loitering munitions and reconnaissance drones commonly available in the market.

The aircraft was deliberately designed at a larger scale to carry heavier payloads and a wider range of sensors, enabling it to gather detailed ground intelligence and, where required, conduct strike operations.

He states that in the South African context, the need for such capabilities is particularly acute, given the country’s extensive and porous borders.

With more than 4 000km of land borders and nearly 3 000km of maritime boundaries, deploying sufficient ground-based equipment to monitor and patrol these areas would be prohibitively expensive, making strategic UAVs a more practical and cost-effective solution, says Du Plessis.

At the moment, the company is looking to service the African market, followed by the Middle East and some Asian countries.

According to Du Plessis, the company has also started developing machine learning and visual detection and guidance systems that will be incorporated into the UAV.

“It has to be a platform that is adaptable and thus far the development of it has proven successful. We have now moved from development work and we are now focused more on production and industrialisation because we have some contracts and orders that we will have to fulfil in Q2 this year.”

However, he did not disclose the names of the customers, citing the “sensitivity” of the contracts. “But we have a substantial order book and manufacturing capability. We are looking to double our manufacturing capability over the next year.

“By June this year and hopefully by the end of December, we should be able to produce 24 aircraft per year. You can understand this is a significant feat since this is quite a large aircraft and we have a full turnkey solution built in our facilities in Cape Town, which ranges from the aeronautical side and aeromechanics, to the airframe and aircraft development, all the way to the hardware and software we have to write.

“The full integration and manufacturing cycle of that tends to take about half a month; that’s what we are aiming for.”