Milkor continues to make strides with its Milkor 380 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), with the project now moving from its development phase to an industrial phase.
This is according to Daniel du Plessis, Milkor’s Marketing and Communications Director. Speaking exclusively to defenceWeb, du Plessis said: “the project is now essentially moving away from a development phase. Up until 2023 we were still developing quite a few things in terms of software hardware and aircraft components, as well as testing.”
This culminated in the Milkor 380’s first flight in September 2023, with du Plessis adding that “a very stringent flight-testing campaign has taken place since then.”
Flight testing has primarily taken place at Air Force Base Overberg, co-located with the Denel Overberg Test Range (OTR), and overseen by the South African Air Force with which Milkor has a testing and evaluation agreement. The Western Cape facility is situated across 43 000 hectares with a 70 km coastline facing virtually unrestricted sea; the air base at Overberg provides runway and ground support services for all types of aircraft.
Du Plessis told defenceWeb “the project is essentially nearing the end of its maturity in terms of development but now more nearing more towards a finalised solution.” He added that, “we are expecting to see a rapid increase in the industrialisation cycle and also the manufacturing capabilities within the company to keep up with the demand for pending contracts that we’re expecting.”
Annual UAV production stands at eight per year, with plans to reach sixteen units a year by 2026. Last year Milkor had half a dozen Milkor 380s under construction at its Cape Town manufacturing facility.
The Milkor 380 was developed from the earlier MA (Milkor Aeospace) 80, an 80 kg demonstrator which flew in 2017. As a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV, the Milkor 380 boasts impressive specifications, having a wingspan of 18.6 meters and a maximum take-off weight of 1 500 kilograms, making it the largest such aircraft designed and built in Africa.
It is built to carry out extended operations and boasts a maximum endurance of 30 hours (when flying at 60 knots and an altitude of 10 000 feet above mean sea level) and a range of over 4 000 kilometres, making it ideal for long-range missions such as border surveillance, maritime patrols, and combat operations.
The UAV is equipped with dual redundant Line of Sight (LOS) communications systems that can maintain contact with its control unit for up to 250 km, with seamless transition between Line of Sight and Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) communications, such as SATCom.
Milkor has partnered with leading companies, such as Germany’s Hensoldt, to integrate sophisticated sensor suites, including the ARGOS II HDT Airborne Observation System with laser designator capabilities. These sensors are designed for precision targeting in combat operations and enhance the UAV’s intelligence-gathering and electronic warfare capabilities. The Milkor 380 can carry up to 220 kg of payload, including munitions, communication pods and electronic warfare systems.
The Milkor 380 is powered by a four-stroke, four-cylinder turbocharged Rotax 915iS engine developing 135 hp, which gives a maximum speed of 250 km/h and cruising speed of 110-150 km/h.
Payload is 220 kg (excluding fuel), with each outer wing hardpoint able to accommodate 80 kg while each inner wing hardpoint can carry 150 kg. An underbelly station is designed to accommodate the largest payload and is rated to 400 kg. The aircraft’s nose is capable of housing several different electro optical/infrared and radar sensors.
The Milkor 380 can be armed, and has already been displayed with Al Tariq X-series precision guided munitions, Halcon Desert Sting DS-16 guided bombs, and FZ602 laser-guided rocket launchers. A mockup of a Milkor-developed missile has also been shown under the aircraft, as Milkor is exploring in-house missile development.
While the Milkor 380 is primarily designed for military use, Milkor envisions dual-purpose applications, particularly in the civilian and commercial sectors. For instance, it can be deployed for maritime surveillance, wildlife conservation and humanitarian missions. The company has partnered with Aerodata AG, a German firm specializing in maritime surveillance, to explore the UAV’s potential in monitoring special economic zones and conducting routine maritime patrols. This version is known as the AeroForce 380.
The Milkor 380’s production phase has paved the way for an even larger follow-on project, the Milkor 780. This high-altitude, long-endurance UAV is expected to carry 2 700 kilograms of payload and have a flight time of 30–40 hours. Milkor hopes to unveil it at the 2026 edition of the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) exhibition.
Milkor is participating in the LAAD 2025 exhibition currently underway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 1 to 4 April, where it is showcasing its air, land, and sea solutions.
