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I read about this a couple of years ago, then nothing more.. The Skunk: SA’s bad-ass riot-control droneAmong its payload: four paint ball barrels that can fire up to 20 bullets per second each
South African company Desert Wolf has made headlines internationally with its remote-controlled 8-rotor riot-control helicopter which it has dubbed “The Skunk”. According to the Desert Wolf website, The Skunk is “designed to control unruly crowds without endangering the lives of the protestors or the security staff.”
It carries 4 high-capacity paint ball guns that can each fire up to 20 bullets per second, with Desert Wolf predicting that 80 pepper bullets per second will stop any crowd in its tracks. “The current hopper capacity of 4,000 bullets and high pressure carbon fibre air system allows for real stopping power,” the company’s website reads. Bright strobe lights, blinding lasers, and on-board speakers lets The Skunk communicate and give warnings to the crowd. It is also equipped with a FLIR thermal camera, full HD video colour camera, on board recording, full telemetry data link, and long range control link. Because of the eight powerful electric motors and 16-inch props employed on The Skunk, Desert Wolf said its carrying capacity is 45kg. Using Desert Wolf’s Pangolin ground control station, a single operator can also fly multiple Skunks in formation. “What makes the Pangolin unique is the operator and his team are also under full video and audio surveillance. Every move, every decision, every command is recorded,” Desert Wolf said. In an interview with BBC, Desert Wolf reportedly said that it had already received an order for 25 units, some of which would go to mines and security companies in South Africa. Given the recent statements from the civil aviation authority (CAA) on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS’s) in South Africa, it is not clear how legal it is to operate something like The Skunk. However, the CAA has told MyBroadband that in lieu of regulations governing UAS’s, it has made an undertaking to have an interim guidance document as a provisional solution. This will enable restricted operational approval of UAS’s on a case-by-case basis until regulations are in place, the CAA said.
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