Proud President: President Jonathan Expresses His Pride as he Unveils Nigerian-Made Drone!

The Nigeria Air Force built a drone! The Surveillance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) (or Drone) is being touted as next level technology which will be deployed in the war against the Boko boys (Boko Haram sect).

The Drone affectionately called Gulma (Gossip in Hausa language) because of its functions as an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform is the result of a 5-year manpower development programme in Aerospace engineering introduced by the Nigeria Air Force and executed in collaboration with Cranfield University based in the United Kingdom.

The 40 kilogramme Gulma is basically made of aluminium alloy structure and operated by radio control only. It is designed to pick objects from as high as 10,000 feet above sea level.

Besides its diverse military application, Gulma provides other benefits in areas such as disaster management, power line surveys, law enforcement, telecommunications, weather monitoring as well as aerial imaging and mapping. Drones around the world like Gullma are also rapidly becoming an important tool in news gathering, environmental monitoring, oil and gas exploration, as well as parcel delivery.

Kudos to the men of the Nigeria Air Force who have made our President, and indeed all of us so proud.