UAS drone made by Textron Systems
By John Egie
Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, the private security outfit engaged by the Federal Government to protect critical oil and gas infrastructure in the Niger Delta will soon acquire three Aerosonde MK 4.7 Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) drones.
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The drones will be supplied by Textron Systems, an American defence technology company following a deal between the two companies.
The Aerosonde MK 4.7 is a long-endurance tactical drone designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.
With its VTOL capability, the drone can take off and land in confined areas without the need for a runway, making it suitable for monitoring difficult terrains such as creeks, swamps and offshore environments common in the Niger Delta.
The drones are capable of operating for extended hours, transmitting real-time imagery and data to ground control stations.
The deployment of the drones is expected to significantly enhance Tantita surveillance capacity in strengthening national oil assets particularly in tracking pipelines vandalism, oil theft and other forms of economic sabotage.
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Recall that the Federal Government projected total expenditure for the 2026 fiscal year is N58.18 trillion out of which, N34.33 trillion is expected revenue with huge bulk coming from oil.
The budget is based on a conservative crude oil benchmark of USD64.85 per barrel and projection of crude oil production capacity of 1.84 million barrels per day.
The move by Tantita for the acquisition of the military grade equipment for protection of the nation’s oil assets is therefore seen as patriotic in spite of critics who view the possession of such sophisticated equipment in the hands of a private corporate entity as dangerous to national interests.
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It is hoped that when the drones are acquired and deployed economic sabotage in the oil and gas sector will be critically contained.
