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Air · Drone / system

Milkor 380

South African medium-altitude aircraft programme offering long-duration surveillance and multiple military payload configurations.

Role & capabilities

  • Multirole aircraft
Supplier-reported statusSupplier-reported status
Primary domain
Air
System type
Multirole aircraft
Developer / manufacturer
Milkor
Origin / production countries
South Africa
Other names
No additional names recorded
Variants / configurations
See the named configuration and evidence notes
Operators / programme customers
Not confirmed in the reviewed public sources

Evidence & current status

The 2025 catalogue differs from an older manufacturer web baseline. Values here use the catalogue; exact customer configurations and current operator fleets remain unconfirmed.

Milkor 380 is a large fixed-wing uncrewed aircraft developed by South Africa’s Milkor. The programme is marketed for persistent reconnaissance and additional military missions, with optical, radar and other payload options. Its associated ground segment includes fixed and mobile control-station arrangements. This is a distinct aircraft programme, not an indication that the number in its name is its current take-off mass.

The reviewed manufacturer material contains different specification baselines. A company web page lists a 1,300-kilogram maximum take-off mass and thirty-five hours of endurance. The 2025 catalogue instead lists 1,500 kilograms and thirty hours, alongside a 220-kilogram payload. This profile uses the dated catalogue and makes the discrepancy visible rather than selecting the best number from each version.

The catalogue also separates a long advertised flight range from a shorter line-of-sight communications radius. Satellite communications are offered, but an advertised option does not prove installation on every aircraft. Public product marketing establishes the programme; the reviewed documents do not justify a precise present-day military fleet count or an assumption that all advertised payloads are in service.

Sourced specifications

Figures apply to the named configuration. Maximum values are not guaranteed operating performance.

SpecificationReported valueContext & source
AirframeFixed-wing MALE aircraftPublished figure for the cited configuration; not independently verified flight performance. Source ↗
Launch / recoveryNot established from the reviewed public sources.Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗
PropulsionFuel engine; catalogue lists aviation or motor gasolinePublished figure for the cited configuration; not independently verified flight performance. Source ↗
DimensionsLength 9 m; wingspan 18.6 mPublished figure for the cited configuration; not independently verified flight performance. Source ↗
MassMaximum take-off weight 1,500 kgPublished figure for the cited configuration; not independently verified flight performance. Source ↗
EnduranceMaximum 30 hoursPublished figure for the cited configuration; not independently verified flight performance. Source ↗
Range4,000+ km maximum; 250 km line-of-sight communications radiusPublished figure for the cited configuration; not independently verified flight performance. Source ↗
Speed250 km/h maximum; 110–150 km/h operationalPublished figure for the cited configuration; not independently verified flight performance. Source ↗
AltitudeMaximum operational altitude 30,000 ftPublished figure for the cited configuration; not independently verified flight performance. Source ↗
PayloadMaximum 220 kgPublished figure for the cited configuration; not independently verified flight performance. Source ↗
SensorsEO/IR and radar optionsPublished figure for the cited configuration; not independently verified flight performance. Source ↗
Communications / navigationLine-of-sight link; SATCOM capablePublished figure for the cited configuration; not independently verified flight performance. Source ↗

Publication history

  • — Added a sourced global catalogue profile with configuration-specific data and explicit evidence limits.

Suggest a correction to this entry →

Follow the evidence

Source types identify who makes the claim. Programme milestones and supplier statements should be read in context.

  1. Milkor: 2025 general catalogue (opens in a new tab)Manufacturer
  2. Milkor: web specification baseline (opens in a new tab)Manufacturer

Explore the connections

Manufacturer indexSouth Africa

Milkor

Aircraft and programme links: Milkor 380.

Reviewed 20 Sept 2026Read
Air · Coverage auditAfrica

Africa defence drone coverage audit

2 original research topics reviewed: 0 resolved, 2 partially resolved and 0 still open. The remaining register identifies specific evidence needs.

Reviewed 21 Sept 2026Read