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The Denel Dynamics Seeker is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufactured in South Africa by Denel Dynamics (formerly Kentron). The system is designed to perform tactical reconnaissance in real-time and can conduct day and night surveillance in all threat environments. ==History== The Seeker UAV first saw active service with the South African Air Force (SAAF) and equipped 10 Squadron SAAF which was based at Air Force Base Potchefstroom. It first saw use during Operations Modular, Hooper and Packer in Angola during 1987/1988 and was used in order to provide reconnaissance and artillery weapons delivery guidance for the South African Defence Force during the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale, the last battle of the South African Border War. The UAVs also conducted several surveillance operations to gather intelligence on enemy locations, movements, their force strength and most importantly intelligence on the location of static and mobile surface-to-air missile systems. This information was then dissected by the SAAF intelligence community to plan air-strikes, interception routes as well as mission briefings to keep friendly aircraft out of harms way. Hostile Angolan (FAPLA) forces as well as their Cuban allies were forced to fire their expensive 9K33 Osa (SA-8 Gecko) Surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) in an attempt to down these small drones. This also indirectly resulted in depleting the enemy's SAM supplies which led to less risky operations by other combat aircraft in the SAAF. During one reported occasion about 17 SA-8 SAMs were fired at a single UAV, eventually downing it. During the span of the deployment only three UAVs were lost. The short lived squadron ceased UAV operations in November 1990 after the cessation of hostilities and was disbanded on 31 March 1991 and the Seeker UAV was withdrawn from SAAF service. The Seeker system was operated by Kentron (renamed in 1991 to Denel Dynamics) thereafter for operational control and deployment on behalf of the South African Defence Force and its successor the South African National Defence Force (after 1994). Two models were utilized, the Seeker-P model that was used for training purposes and the Seeker-D which was deployed operationally. Over the next five years the UAV remained in service via Denel Dynamics and supported the South African National Defence Force during internal security operations in South Africa such as to monitor the country's first fully democratic elections in 1994. It was also mainly flown in support of the South African Police Service (SAPS) as well as the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (in particular the Marine and Coastal Management branch). These deployments would usually last about two weeks in the operational vicinities of crime "hotspots" to assist the SAPS (usually in the Gauteng area). The system also patrolled areas in the Western Cape usually in support of the SAPS and the Marine and Coastal Management branch. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Denel Dynamics Seeker」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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