A Mikado drone used by the German military flies at Camp Marmal in Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan. PHOTO | AFP
By NEVILLE OTUKI, notuki@ke.nationmedia.com
In Summary
- The drones enable Kenya to conduct real-time surveillance in the battlefield at home and abroad.
- Kenya had ordered for the pilotless aircraft, dubbed ScanEagle, in 2015 at a cost of Sh1 billion.
- The latest acquisition places Kenya in the league of nations that have turned to spy aircraft to combat organised crime.
The US government has strengthened Kenya’s hand in
the fight against Somalia-based Al-Shabaab terrorists with the delivery
of an unknown number of high-tech spy aircraft that were ordered two
years ago.
The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), popularly known as
drones, enable Kenya to conduct real-time surveillance in the
battlefield at home and abroad.
Kenya had ordered for the pilotless aircraft,
dubbed ScanEagle, in 2015 at a cost of $9.86 million (Sh1 billion) under
the US Department of Defence’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme.
A spokesman for the State Department told the Business Daily last Thursday that the aircraft have been delivered and now form part of Kenya’s artillery.
“We can confirm that Kenya has received these
ScanEagle units,” said David McKeeby, the US State Department
spokesperson, in an email response to queries on the arms deal.
Mr McKeeby, however, did not disclose how many
drones were delivered, insisting only the Kenyan government can disclose
the information.
Kenyan does not make public its military purchases,
and only Parliament is mandated to scrutinise classified expenditure of
the security organs.
The US Department of Defence website, however,
indicates that Kenya procured one ScanEagle aircraft system, consisting
of undisclosed number of drones that come with launch and recovery
equipment.
Stockholm International Peace Research
Institute (Sipri), an arms trade monitoring agency, said a ScanEagle
unit comprises four drones and ground systems, offering a glimpse into
the number of the spy aircraft Kenya may have received.
The delivery comes even as Al-Shabaab militants
last Friday attacked a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) camp in Somalia using a
Suicide Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (SVBIED).
It was not immediately possible to know if there were any casualties or the extent of the damage caused.
The KDF is serving in the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) that has been fighting the insurgents since 2009.
The spy aircraft are expected to boost the Kenyan
military’s surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, as they can be
deployed to gather information about terrorists in their hideouts for
pre-emptive attacks.
The drone purchase came on the back of a string of
bomb and gun attacks staged by the Islamist militants who are demanding
the removal of Kenyan troops from the war-torn Horn of Africa nation
Security experts say the drones have an edge in executing
precision-guided attacks on militants, tracking their communication and
foiling the training of recruits.
“The real time nature of data collection would allow for
quicker reaction by trained and properly organised security forces
besides foiling planned attacks,” said a Nairobi-based security expert,
Andrew Franklin.
The ScanEagles use infrared cameras to capture still and moving images that are then relayed to control centres for action.
The latest acquisition places Kenya in the league
of nations that have turned to spy aircraft to combat organised crime,
including the United States, Britain, Australia, Italy and Japan.
Kenya and Cameroon are the only African nations
with the ScanEagle, which is manufactured by Insitu, a subsidiary of
giant US aircraft maker Boeing.
Mr Franklin said that increased focus on drone use had ushered in a new dawn of smart fighting against the terrorists.
In 2012, the US Pentagon announced plans to deliver
small drones, dubbed Raven, to Kenya as part of its support to the war
against Al-Shabaab.
Kenya was to receive eight hand-launched Raven drones with sensors that are capable of pinpointing targets.
Nairobi has recently been keen to strengthen its
security ties with Washington as it fights its own war against Islamic
terrorism.
Kenya is set to acquire 12 Air Tractors, capable of
launching air-to-ground missiles with precision, two trainer aircraft,
guided bombs, rocket launchers and guided bombs at a cost of Sh43
billion.
The US Defence Security Co-operation Agency made
public the planned weapons acquisition last Monday, pending approval by
the Congress.
Besides, the Kenya Air Force last month received
six Huey II helicopters from the US at a cost of $106 million (Sh10.9
billion).
The aircraft, mostly used for deployment of troops
to battlefields, are expected to reinforce the drone-based operations
through faster troop deployment whenever an incident is detected.
The ScanEagle is 1.5 metres long, can fly for up to 20 hours non-stop, and can be deployed in both land and maritime operations.
.
The unmanned aircraft comes with its catapult
launcher (Mark 4 launcher), recovery equipment, ground control stations,
video exploitation system, training devices and spare kits.
Kenya’s security organs have recently raced to boost their
military firepower and intelligence to combat emerging threats in the
war-ravaged region.
Last year, the Kenyan government placed yet another
order with the United States for a floating airship, also known as
aerostat or blimp, to supplement the drones.
The aerostat uses balloon air — helium gas — to
float and is fitted with infrared cameras that capture a sweeping aerial
view of an area for response decisions.
Mr Franklin, however, cautioned that for the drone
to yield the expected results, Kenya’s security organs will have to
share intelligence seamlessly besides making the chain of command
clear-cut to avoid delays in response time in the event of a crime.
Nairobi in 2014 struck a deal with US-based College
of Computing, Mathematical and Natural Sciences at the University of
Maryland whose officials were expected to offer Kenyan military
technical expertise in drone technology.
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