Managing Director Bertus van Zyl told ProtectionWeb that developing computer vision software can take the load off pilots and alert pilots to, for example, movement while a drone is on patrol: a UAV will only call on the pilot when needed. This means pilots will not have to monitor their UAV continually, reducing pilot fatigue, especially during night operations. Artificial intelligence (AI) will also mean that it will be feasible for pilots to control multiple drones simultaneously.

Van Zyl explained that Aerial Works is developing its own computer vision software. The company is aiming for a future where one pilot can control a swarm of drones from a remote location and even have fully autonomous swarms of drones. As the company can fly its drones over the internet, operating multiple drones across different locations is not a problem.

Aerial Works and its UAV manufacturing arm, Sky Robots, is at the forefront of South Africa’s rapidly advancing drone industry. Founded in 2017, Aerial Works has established itself as a leading provider of premium drone security services in South Africa, catering to the military, police, private security, and mining sectors.

“Our competitive advantage is training, operations, and manufacturing,” said Aerial Works and Drone Guards Director Kim James. Speaking at the Securex 2025 exhibition at Gallagher Estate last week, she explained that by manufacturing its own UAV through Sky Robots, Aerial Works is able to provide a custom-designed aircraft suited to harsh African conditions and backed up by a ready supply of spares.

Aerial Works makes use of multi-rotor drones for operations requiring no more than a 5 km radius, and vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) fixed wing drones for operations of more than 15 km and requiring two hours or more time in the air.

The SRV22E VTOL fixed wing is manufactured in-house by Sky Robots, which was established in 2019 as a sister company. The UAV combines the agility and manoeuvrability of a quadcopter with the extended flight range and speed of a fixed wing aircraft. Made out of carbon fibre, it is lightweight and strong as well as water-resistant for inclement weather operations – it can also operate at night. It can carry a 1 kg payload for two hours. An innovative lidar landing assistance feature ensures smooth landings regardless of landing environment. Further enhancing safety is an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) transponder to avoid potential collisions with nearby aircraft. As it is manufactured locally, it is relatively cost effective to produce: training for two pilots, a control room and SRV22E all cost just R1.3 million.

In conjunction with Sky Robots, Aerial Works is able to offer a turnkey service, including drone pilot training for both multirotor and VTOL fixed wing drones, command and control vehicles and containers, drones, and software solutions for planning, execution and management of drone operations.

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The UAV, designed to provide a cost-effective intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability, amongst others, has a flight endurance of over 10 hours and range of 800 km with a 7 kg payload, rivalling the performance of UAVs twice its size. The SF30, according to the company, is a persistent, multi-functional, rugged VTOL aircraft with class-leading performance, but at a significantly lower price point and much smaller logistical footprint than competitors.

Four electric motors with position-locking propellers provide vertical lift while a four-stroke petrol engine driving a pusher propeller provides thrust for horizontal flight and a cruising speed of 90 km/h.

The SF30 weights 22 kg empty, and carries 10 kg of fuel and payload. Wingspan is 4.13 metres, length 2.48 metres, and height .65 metres.

An accessible 40 litre payload bay makes changing payloads and sensors simple. Combination payloads, for example, a wide area scanner coupled to a gimballed day/night tracking camera, are possible.

ShadowfaxUAS said the SF30 offers robust vertical take-off and landing capability, allowing it to operate in unforgiving environments. It can take off and land anywhere – even from the top of a vehicle – and is completely runway and launch equipment independent. Auto-feathering VTOL propellers improve aerodynamic performance and flight duration. The UAV disassembles into a 1.6 metre long transport box, allowing for transportability in rugged environments with small vehicles.

Needing only two people to operate, the SF30 can be assembled from the box and be flight ready in less than an hour. Turnaround between flights is under 20 minutes.

The UAV was designed to offer high reliability for increased utilisation rates and reduced sensor data cost per hour. It has a removable forward propulsion engine unit which can be swapped out in seconds, making for easy maintenance, improved reliability as well as platform availability and utilisation.

“Reliability and high system availability is further enhanced by best-in-class equipment on board,” ShadowfaxUAS stated. The forward propulsion engine, VTOL motors, speed controllers and actuators were specifically designed for UAV use.

The platform is capable of carrying a range of communications equipment, including satellite communications, encrypted MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) radios and cellular, offering extensive operational range in third-world environments.

The UAV is ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) free, offering export capability to most countries.

Shadowfax UAS (Pty) Ltd is a registered exporter of unmanned aerial systems with the South African National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC).

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