The Nigerian Airforce (NAF) says it would soon finish the manufacturing of an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) capable of detonating high calibre improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and intelligence gathering in crisis-prone parts of the country.
The NAF, however, said lack of funds was delaying the speedy completion of the project.
Speaking at a news conference in preparation for the 42nd graduation ceremony of Nigerian Airforce Institute of Technology (NAFIT), Kaduna, its commandant, Toni Adokwe, said the new device would enhance the success of security agents in the fight against insurgency.
According to him, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) known as Gulma, developed by the institute and launched last year by President Goodluck Jonathan, had been deployed in defence headquarters for surveillance and intelligence gathering in crises-prone areas of the country.
“When the project is completed, the robot would go a long way in countering activities of terrorist groups, as detonation of bombs will not require the physical presence of a human being at the scene,” he said.
The UAV, he said, was the first on the African continent, adding that with proper funding, Nigeria was capable of attaining higher pedestal in military aviation and defence-related technology.
The institute, established in 1979, is mandated to conduct research and run postgraduate engineering programmes in various aerospace, aeronautical and allied disciplines, in addition to providing other training programmes as may be required by the Nigerian military.
So far, it has trained a total of 5,000 graduates.
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