French manufacturer Milton Innovation has supplied 14 Long Range Observer (LRO) drones to the armed forces of Chad and Mauritania in recent months, marking its entry into African markets amid rising jihadist threats. Funded through European Union programs totaling 40 million euros over two years, these deliveries support border monitoring in the Lake Chad Basin and Sahel regions. Expertise France, the operational arm of the French Development Agency, issued a tender in December 2024 for two drone systems to Chad and one to Mauritania, with awards finalised by mid-2025. Verified as delivered, the systems include operator training by Milton teams on site, ensuring rapid integration into local operations.
The LRO serves as a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle optimised for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in harsh environments like the Sahel’s dust storms and high temperatures. Weighing 6 kilograms, its Kevlar chassis resists impacts and environmental stress, allowing flights in degraded weather where rotor-only drones might fail. The VTOL design enables launches from confined spaces, such as remote outposts, without runways, while the quick-release assembly facilitates transport in standard backpacks or vehicles. Battery life reaches 3 hours and 30 minutes, covering 80 kilometres at speeds up to 100 kilometres per hour, though operators often trade altitude for endurance in low-level patrols to evade detection. This range suits border sweeps along Chad’s 1,000-kilometre frontier with Nigeria or Mauritania’s vast desert edges, but wind shear above 20 knots can demand manual corrections, a trade-off balanced by its autopilot for stable imaging.
Payload flexibility defines the LRO’s utility. Its internal bay accommodates electro-optical cameras for daylight video, infrared sensors for night operations, or specialised gear like the Rohde & Schwarz CEPTOR suite for radio frequency (RF) monitoring. CEPTOR, integrated via the R&S EM200 signal analyser and omnidirectional antenna, scans emissions from 8 kilohertz to 8 gigahertz, cataloguing signals for geolocation and threat analysis. In practice, this detects insurgent radios or improvised explosive device triggers from afar, relaying data to ground stations for real-time triangulation. The suite’s software automates spectrum sweeps, reducing operator workload, but its 2-kilogram weight limits endurance by 20 minutes unless prioritised over optics. Demonstrated at Milipol Paris 2025, this pairing enhances wide-area electronic warfare without manned risks.
These capabilities directly counter the tactics of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which operates across the Lake Chad Basin. ISWAP, a Boko Haram splinter since 2016, fields about 3,000 fighters and controls rural pockets in Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger. The group has shifted from ground ambushes to drone-enabled strikes, using commercial models for reconnaissance and, since December 2024, weaponised variants dropping grenades on Nigerian bases like Wajiroko, injuring five soldiers. Follow-up attacks in Damaturu and Abadam employed four armed drones each, coordinating with infantry to exploit chaos. By March 2025, ISWAP probed the Wulgo axis near Lake Chad with surveillance drones before assaults killing 16, while May strikes in Marte claimed four more lives. These low-cost systems, sourced via Basin trade routes for fuel and parts, extend ISWAP’s reach into Chadian territory, where cross-border raids have displaced 400,000 people since 2024.
Chad’s forces, numbering 30,000 active personnel, patrol 237,000 square kilometres of arid terrain with limited air assets, relying on the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) for joint ops. The LRO fills gaps in persistent overwatch, enabling spotters to vector artillery or quick reaction forces without exposing patrols. Mauritania’s 16,000-strong army faces similar strains along its 5,000-kilometre border, where ISWAP scouts exploit dunes for smuggling. EU funding redirects prior G5 Sahel allocations after Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger’s 2024 exit, prioritising stable partners like these nations. Milton’s on-site training, started post-delivery, covers flight ops, payload swaps, and CEPTOR basics, aiming for full autonomy in six months.
Founded in 2017 by a former French special forces operator, Milton specialises in modular unmanned aerial vehicles for defence and security, with all production in France. The firm partnered with Etienne Lacroix Group for munitions integration and Rohde & Schwarz since 2021 for signals intelligence. Earlier, Milton co-developed the Sky Carrier loitering munition for French Army tests in 2023, capable of 10-kilometre grenade drops. At SOFINS 2025, it unveiled the Sky Watcher mini-drone for tactical scouting, evolving designs from Eurosatory 2024 feedback. These efforts position Milton as a niche provider for export markets, emphasising customisation over mass production.
Deployment trade-offs emerge in Sahel ops. The LRO’s electric propulsion ensures quiet flights below 50 decibels, ideal for stealthy RF hunts, but batteries degrade 15% faster in 45-degree heat, necessitating shaded recharges. VTOL adds versatility for ad hoc launches, yet fixed-wing transitions demand clear airspace to avoid stalls. Against ISWAP’s off-the-shelf drones, LRO’s CEPTOR edge lies in jamming detection, cueing electronic countermeasures, though integration with MNJTF networks requires secure links to prevent intercepts. Regional forces must pair these with ground sensors for full-spectrum coverage, as drones alone miss subsurface threats like ISWAP’s improvised devices.
The deliveries signal Europe’s sustained Sahel commitment post-Barkhane withdrawal in 2022, channelling aid through bilateral channels. As ISWAP adapts via shared Islamic State tactics, including drone swarms, Chadian and Mauritanian operators gain tools for proactive denial. Milton’s foothold, built on training and local assembly potential, fosters long-term resilience against a foe that routed supplies through Basin markets. Enhanced patrols could disrupt these flows, amplifying the LRO’s impact in denying insurgents aerial initiative.
