Denel shows Stealth Drone

South Africa's Denel Group is showing SERAPH, its latest version of a high-speed drone at the Paris Air Show that has been developed by Denel's Kentron division.

Development of the SERAPH High-speed Stealth Drone (HSD) began in 1995 as part of the South African Air Force's (SAAF) High speed Reconnaissance Drone (HRD) Technology Demonstrator Programme. All other relevant key technologies were demonstrated using as a flight platform two modified versions of the SKUA High speed Target Drone (HTD), which was by then mature and in regular use by the SAAF.

However, because of SKUA's inherently large radar cross section (RCS), caused by its conventional geometric design and primary role which did not require low RCS, its observability and consequently its survivability made it unsuitable to meet the SAAF's ultimate reconnaissance drone requirement. So Kentron began the design of a highly specialised low radar observability airframe that could, in addition, be used as a technology demonstrator to evaluate the efficiency of newly developed low-observable materials.

A combined aerodynamic, structural and low-observable geometry design effort eventually yielded a useful airframe design. Various size scale models were used to prove the success of the design during an extensive test programme conducted in local medium speed wind tunnel and compact radar measuring facilities during 1996.

Refinement of the design during the follow-on development cycle further improved the airframe's RCS and a full-scale airframe pattern was subsequently machined. Moulds were also manufactured off the pattern and a set of prototype airframe components was successfully manufactured and mechanically integrated during 1997.

Since 1998 most of the development effort has gone towards the development of new generation materials and facilities to support local development and production of low-observable products. Several unique and world first products and processes have been achieved to date and are currently seeing implementation in a variety of roles and applications.

Currently further development of low observable technology is being conducted with both internal and external funding. Discussions with possible international partners have also progressed to a stage where formal agreement regarding joint full-scale development is in the process of being finalised.

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