PRETORIA, South Africa — South Africa’s Paramount Group unveiled its new V-Raven family of reusable vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) at the Africa Aerospace and Defence Expo (AAD 2026) at Air Force Base Waterkloof. Evolved from Paramount’s N-Raven loitering munition architecture, the V-Raven system introduces a returnable multi-mission airframe designed for persistent intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and precision light strike capability across expeditionary environments.
The V-Raven airframe eliminates airfield infrastructure dependencies via its vertical take-off and landing configuration. Offered in both internal combustion (petrol) and all-electric propulsion variants, the UAS provides modular payload integration options, ranging from stabilized electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor gimbals to precision-guided glide munitions.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: PARAMOUNT V-RAVEN VTOL UAS FAMILY
* Primary Developer & Manufacturer: Paramount Group (South Africa)
* System Classification: Reusable Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) Tactical UAS
* Primary Mission Profiles: Persistent Electro-Optical ISR & Modular Light Attack
* Airframe Dimensions & Weight Envelope:
* Wingspan: 3.6 meters
* Fuselage Length: 2.1 meters
* Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW): 65 kg
* Propulsion Configurations & Performance Metrics:
* Petrol Propulsion Variant:
* Operational Endurance: Up to 8 hours
* Operational Flight Range: Up to 1,200 km
* Cruise Speed: ~140 km/h
* All-Electric Propulsion Variant:
* Operational Endurance: Up to 2 hours
* Operational Flight Range: Up to 250 km
* Communications & Mission Systems:
* Line-of-Sight (LOS) Dataglink Range: Up to 150 km to ground control station (GCS)
* Sensor Payload: Multi-sensor day/night electro-optical sensor system
* Strike Payload: Integrated precision-guided glide munitions (Light Attack Configuration)
