A private security company in Nigeria signed a contract to procure the Aerosonde Mk vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicle system. 4.7, produced by Textron Systems, to strengthen the protection of critical infrastructure in the country’s oil and gas sector.
The agreement was signed with Tantita Security Services and includes initial delivery of three Aerosonde systems. These air vehicles will be supplied in a configuration completely free from ITAR restrictions, thereby facilitating export and use by international customers.
+ A large drone crashed in Afghanistan and is suspected to be an MQ-9 Reaper, according to sources
According to Textron Systems, the drones will be used in surveillance and security operations around oil and natural gas facilities in Nigeria, which face recurring threats such as oil theft, vandalism and sabotage. This contract also includes operator training options as well as the procurement of additional air vehicles as Tantita expands its operational capabilities. This new order builds on previous deliveries of Aerosonde systems to Nigeria through the United States’ Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.
Aerosonde Mk. The 4.7 is designed to operate without the need for a runway, using quadrotor hybrid technology for vertical takeoff and landing before switching to fixed-wing flight. The system is capable of carrying a variety of payloads and carrying out long-duration surveillance missions, which are considered critical for sustained operations in high-risk areas.
According to David Phillips, Senior Vice President of Air, Land and Sea Systems at Textron Systems, the Aerosonde Mk. 4.7 is a mature and highly reliable solution, with proven performance in challenging environments. He stated that this platform will enable Tantita to significantly enhance its capabilities in protecting infrastructure considered vital to Nigeria’s security and economy.
The Aerosonde family of systems has logged more than 700,000 flight hours in operations conducted in various regions of the world, including sustained use on more than ten United States Navy ships. The system offers multimission capability and can be configured with a variety of sensors and payloads, in both VTOL and fixed-wing versions.
Sources and pictures: Textron Systems. This content is created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
