… Inducts TSAIGUMI for full tactical operations***
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has assured Nigerians, particularly the Shell and other oil companies in Nigeria that Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) popularly called drones would be deployed to help secure the companies’ oil and gas pipelines.
Already, the TSAIGUMI, a drone with day and night capability, with an operational endurance in excess of 10 hours, a service ceiling of 15,000 feet and a mission radius of 100km has been inducted by NAF.
The NAF in a statement in Abuja by the NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, AVM Olatokunbo Adesanya stated that the drones will similarly be deployed to other critical oil installations in the Niger Delta.
The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar who made the observation when the Managing Director and Country Chairman of Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mr Osagie Okunbor visited him on Friday, saying this was to ensure that the maritime domain was safer for social and economic activities, by preventing oil theft, pipeline vandalism and militancy.
The air chief said it was also to prevent kidnapping and other forms of economic sabotage “thereby helping to sustain the economic lifeline of Nigeria”.
He noted that the NAF, over the years, had been actively involved in the security of oil pipelines, protection of critical national assets and general safety of the maritime environment, adding that the recent development of the capability to produce UAVs had enabled the NAF to induct an operational drone named TSAIGUMI.
“The TSAIGUMI could also be used for policing operations, disaster management, convoy protection, maritime patrol, pipeline and power line monitoring as well as mapping and border patrol duties,” Abubakar said.
“Accordingly, the Service would be willing to send experts to Shell to make presentation on the capabilities of the TSAIGUMI UAV.
The Service will also explore mutually beneficial ways to better secure Shell facilities while further developing the NAF’s UAV capability,” he said
Okunbor thanked the NAF for its continuous support, which had spanned many decades.
He said the efforts of the NAF and other security agencies made the continuous existence of peace and investment friendly environment possible in the Southern part of Nigeria.
