SARAJEVO, September 24 (FENA) – The development of the first Bosnian-Herzegovinian unmanned aircraft, CNT-17FW01, a project of the Sarajevo-based Public Institution Centre for Advanced Technologies (CNT), has entered a new phase, with the focus shifting from its initial presentation to systematic testing, optimisation and achieving industrial maturity.

With a vision of creating a knowledge-based society and retaining young and promising professionals in the country, CNT projects are being implemented in close cooperation with local researchers, engineers and scientific institutions, demonstrating that Bosnia and Herzegovina has the capacity for major technological advances, the Sarajevo Canton Press Service said.

The CNT-17FW01, equipped with a 5.4-metre wingspan, a 16-kilowatt engine and a payload capacity of up to 30 kilograms, with an estimated flight endurance of up to 12 hours, has been designed primarily for civilian use, with a focus on search-and-rescue missions. The current development phase includes rigorous testing, data collection and process standardisation to ensure full reliability and repeatability of performance.

Sarajevo Canton Prime Minister Nihad Uk said that support for science and technology must be accompanied by concrete steps and measures to strengthen academic and research capacities, such as the strategic “150+ Programme”, through which the Sarajevo Canton Government is creating jobs for the country’s best young professionals and supporting the return of members of the scientific diaspora.

Ensar Mulaosmanović, director of the Public Institution Centre for Advanced Technologies in Sarajevo, stressed the complexity of the process itself and the strategic importance of such initiatives for domestic engineering.