The development of computer vision software is a key focus for UAV Aerial Works, which sees it as a competitive advantage for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations.
Managing Director Bertus van Zyl told ProtectionWeb that developing computer vision software can take the load off pilots and alert pilots to, for example, movement while a drone is on patrol: a UAV will only call on the pilot when needed. This means pilots will not have to monitor their UAV continually, reducing pilot fatigue, especially during night operations. Artificial intelligence (AI) will also mean that it will be feasible for pilots to control multiple drones simultaneously.
Van Zyl explained that Aerial Works is developing its own computer vision software. The company is aiming for a future where one pilot can control a swarm of drones from a remote location and even have fully autonomous swarms of drones. As the company can fly its drones over the internet, operating multiple drones across different locations is not a problem.
Aerial Works and its UAV manufacturing arm, Sky Robots, is at the forefront of South Africa’s rapidly advancing drone industry. Founded in 2017, Aerial Works has established itself as a leading provider of premium drone security services in South Africa, catering to the military, police, private security, and mining sectors.
“Our competitive advantage is training, operations, and manufacturing,” said Aerial Works and Drone Guards Director Kim James. Speaking at the Securex 2025 exhibition at Gallagher Estate last week, she explained that by manufacturing its own UAV through Sky Robots, Aerial Works is able to provide a custom-designed aircraft suited to harsh African conditions and backed up by a ready supply of spares.
Aerial Works makes use of multi-rotor drones for operations requiring no more than a 5 km radius, and vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) fixed wing drones for operations of more than 15 km and requiring two hours or more time in the air.
The SRV22E VTOL fixed wing is manufactured in-house by Sky Robots, which was established in 2019 as a sister company. The UAV combines the agility and manoeuvrability of a quadcopter with the extended flight range and speed of a fixed wing aircraft. Made out of carbon fibre, it is lightweight and strong as well as water-resistant for inclement weather operations – it can also operate at night. It can carry a 1 kg payload for two hours. An innovative lidar landing assistance feature ensures smooth landings regardless of landing environment. Further enhancing safety is an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) transponder to avoid potential collisions with nearby aircraft. As it is manufactured locally, it is relatively cost effective to produce: training for two pilots, a control room and SRV22E all cost just R1.3 million.
In conjunction with Sky Robots, Aerial Works is able to offer a turnkey service, including drone pilot training for both multirotor and VTOL fixed wing drones, command and control vehicles and containers, drones, and software solutions for planning, execution and management of drone operations.
