Colombia to build unmanned aircraft: Vice minister
ESTEBAN MANRIQUEZ
Colombia is in the process of building its own unmanned aircraft and advanced military radar to combat insurgents and drug trafficking organizations, reported local media Thursday.
Colombia is set to increase its investment in drone technology over the coming years, Vice Minister for Defense Yaneth Giha revealed Thursday.
“We in Colombia have decided to work on a path of technological development as large as those in Korea and Israel,” Giha told press at a defense exposition in the capital Bogota. “We have been working on the development of an unmanned aircraft for a year now.”
“Several of our trained engineers have gone to countries like Spain and are working on this project. The most important thing is to get the ideal prototype for serving our country and not only for the military theme, but to monitor the country’s energy infrastructure,” said Giha.
Colombia has been using U.S. drones since at least 2006 but the aircraft have so far been only manufactured in foreign countries.
