France to deliver VTOL UAVs to Madagascar Armed Forces
A UAV displayed at the AerialMetric facility that appears to be the first handed over by France. (Ministry of the Armed Forces of Madagascar)
Madagascar and France signed a co-operation agreement covering the delivery of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and training of their operators during a visit by France's Minister of Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin on 6 October.
Vautrin released a statement saying that 100 UAVs would be made available to the Malagasy Armed Forces (FAM) before the end of this year and their pilots are already being trained by France's La RĂ©union-based Armed Forces of the Southern Indian Ocean Zone (FAZSOI).
The first UAV was formally handed over during her visit to AerialMetric, a Franco-Malagasy company based in Antananarivo.
Photographs from the event indicated this is a hybrid vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) fixed-wing UAV that uses electrical-powered rotors to take off before a small piston engine driving a pusher propeller takes over.
Vautrin added that there is a parallel programme to “support the development of a surveillance and reconnaissance capability tailored to Madagascar's needs”.
The Ministry of the Armed Forces of Madagascar said in a statement that an initial batch of 20 UAVs will be delivered for surveillance and communications relay purposes to monitor vessels operating illegally in Madagascar's southern waters. Another 100 UAVs are expected to be delivered to the FAM by December to improve their reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities more generally.
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