French drone manufacturer Delair has secured a direct contract to supply six UX11 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles to the Uganda People’s Defence Force, enhancing the army’s wide-area monitoring capabilities. Negotiations led by Delair CEO Bastien Mancini finalised the deal in late 2025, with the systems entering operational missions shortly after delivery. Verified as active on December 6, 2025, this acquisition aligns with Uganda’s push for layered intelligence assets amid persistent border threats from groups like the Allied Democratic Forces. The UX11’s portability and precision suit tactical reconnaissance, filling gaps between heavy platforms and ground patrols in Uganda’s rugged frontiers.
The UX11 operates as a lightweight, modular fixed-wing drone weighing 1.4 kilograms, designed for rapid deployment in austere environments. Operators assemble it in under five minutes, launching by hand at a 30-degree angle and recovering via automated low-speed belly landing, mimicking bird descent for confined spaces like clearings or roadsides. This belly takeoff and landing system avoids runways, reducing logistical demands, though it requires 30-degree slopes to prevent propeller strikes, a trade-off that limits very flat or obstructed sites. Endurance reaches 59 minutes at cruise speeds of 54 kilometres per hour, covering a 53-kilometre range, while an extended battery variant pushes this to 80 minutes and 70 kilometres at added cost and minor weight penalty. In one sortie, it maps up to 200 hectares at 120 meters altitude, yielding a ground sample distance of 1.7 centimetres for detailed orthomosaics.
Dual communication links enable flexible control: a 2.4-gigahertz radio provides line-of-sight range up to 10 kilometres in FCC regions or 5 kilometres in CE zones, while 3G/4G cellular integration supports beyond visual line of sight operations where regulations permit, extending to network limits for persistent overwatch. This hybrid setup counters signal dropouts in hilly terrain but relies on coverage, vulnerable to jamming by adversaries like the ADF, who deploy improvised electronic warfare kits. The onboard industrial-grade global shutter camera captures 21-megapixel RGB imagery without motion blur, ideal for tracking vehicles or foot traffic. High-precision post-processed kinematic global navigation satellite system receivers achieve centimetre-level accuracy without base stations, processing data via Delair After Flight software on PCs. Mission planning runs on the Android-based Delair Flight Deck app, allowing tablet-based waypoint setting and real-time telemetry, though field operators note battery drain on devices during extended loiters.
These features position the UX11 for Uganda’s security needs. The Uganda People’s Defence Force patrols 2,700 kilometres of borders with South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania, where porous frontiers enable smuggling and insurgent transit. Since 2021, Operation Shujaa, a joint Uganda-Democratic Republic of Congo effort, has targeted ADF fighters in eastern Congo’s Ituri and North Kivu provinces, neutralising camps and rescuing over 100 abductees by late 2025. Drones provide eyes over dense forests and Lake Albert’s shores, cueing artillery or quick reaction forces without risking manned flights. Recent ADF adaptations, including commercial drones for improvised explosive drops, demand counter-surveillance; UX11 feeds could map launch sites or track resupply, reducing exposure in ambushes that killed 20 Ugandan troops in 2024.
The UPDF’s drone inventory reflects a diversified approach to building resilience. In 2022, it fielded two dozen Israeli Elbit Systems Hermes 900 medium-altitude long-endurance platforms, each with 36-hour endurance and a 350-kilogram payload for electro-optical infrared sensors and signals intelligence over 1,000 kilometres. These handle strategic overwatch but demand runways and cost $10 million per unit, limiting forward basing. Complementing them, a 2023 acquisition of Turkish STM Togan mini-unmanned aerial vehicles offers 90-minute flights for platoon-level scouting at 50 kilometres range, though their 2-kilogram payload restricts heavy sensors. U.S.-sourced Aerosonde Mk4.7 systems, delivered in 2020, provide 14-hour maritime patrols with synthetic aperture radar for border rivers, but integration challenges persist due to proprietary software. The UX11 slots into tactical gaps, offering survey-grade data at a fraction of the price—under $50,000 per system—while emphasising ease for non-specialist troops.
Domestic development accelerates this mix. In April 2024, the National Enterprise Corporation partnered with China’s Norinco to establish a UAV assembly workshop in Nakasongola, completed within six months for maintenance and eventual production of fixed-wing trainers. This initiative transfers skills in avionics and composites, reducing import dependency amid sanctions risks, though initial output focuses on copies of Wing Loong models rather than indigenous designs. By blending foreign buys with local sustainment, Uganda aims for 80% operational availability, up from 60% in 2023, per defence ministry reports.
Deployment trade-offs shape UX11 use. Its quiet electric propulsion evades auditory detection, aiding stealthy border runs, but 59-minute limits necessitate relays for 24-hour coverage, straining battery logistics in remote outposts. PPK accuracy excels for post-mission analysis, like plotting ADF trails, yet real-time streaming taxes cellular bandwidth in Congo’s spotty networks. Against ADF’s low-tech swarms, the UX11’s modularity allows infrared add-ons for night hunts, but operators must weigh payload swaps against endurance drops of 10-15 minutes.
Delair’s entry diversifies Uganda’s suppliers, echoing sales to Benin in 2024 and NATO trials of UX11 loitering variants. As Shujaa evolves into a multi-year campaign, these drones enable proactive denial, securing trade routes and oil fields near Lake Albert. With Norinco’s workshop scaling, Uganda transitions from buyer to builder, embedding surveillance into a self-reliant force structure.
