South Africa is Investigating How Its Sensors Got Into Harpy-A1 Drones Used by Russia to Attack Ukraine

The government of South Africa is investigating how electronic equipment manufactured in the country got into Russian drones used to strike Ukraine.

This was reported by Bloomberg.

The device in question is a laser rangefinder manufactured by LightWare Optoelectronics Ltd. based near Pretoria, the country’s capital. The company claims that it is not intended for military use.

The device was found in a Russian Harpy-A1 kamikaze drone, Ukraine’s special envoy for sanctions Vladyslav Vlasiuk said.

According to him, this device can be used to measure distances and initiate an explosion of a combat unit.

After this information was published, the manufacturer accused ‘unscrupulous’ buyers of using the equipment in Russian drones and stated that the sale of its rangefinders did not require special permission, as they did not belong to the category of military goods.

At the same time, South Africa’s National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) said it would inspect the manufacturer.

In its statement, LightWare noted that it was unclear how Russia had obtained its equipment, which was not intended for military use.

According to South African law, companies are prohibited from exporting weapons to countries in active conflict without the permission of NCACC.

According to Bloomberg, LightWare’s sensors are used in a variety of areas, ranging from monitoring the movement of ore in mines to counting endangered wildlife. The company has reduced the size and weight of the device, making it easier to install on drones.

Harpy-A1 is a version of Shahed kamikaze drones manufactured by the Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant or IEMZ Kupol.

In September, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine released a detailed analysis of the design and components of the Russian Geran-3 jet drone of ‘U’ series.