Nigeria acquired four new Chinese-made combat drones aimed at boosting the fight against armed banditry and the extremist militants wreaking havoc in the country’s northwest region.
According to Nigerian military sources, the unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) landed in Nigeria’s Gusau, Zamfara state which will be their operational base, a new runway and ancillary facilities to support the drone operations is being constructed.
The UCAVs will cover several states including Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kastina, and some part of Kaduna state. Two of the cambat drones will be deployed to the newly formed 203 Combat Reconnaissance Group in Gombe state, and the other two will support the Air Task Force, under the ongoing Operations Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri.
The Nigerian Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar last month had disclosed that the country’s Air Force had concluded the acquisition of eight new Chinese-made UCAVs, which he said would soon arrive in the country.
In Brief: Capabilities and Specifications
- The CASC CH-4 is a medium altitude long endurance UAV, designed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology.
- The UAV can be used to conduct Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions and also can be deployed to conducted air-to-surface guided raids.
- The UAV can be armed with up to 345 kilograms of weapons
- Can be armed with munitions ranging from BA-7 air-to-ground missile, YZ-212 laser guided bomb, YZ-102A anti-personnel bomb and 50kg LS-6 guided bomb.
- The unmanned aerial vehicle has a range of up to 5000 km, an endurance of 30-40 hours.
This unmanned aerial vehicle in Africa, has been used by national armies of Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Libya.
