It is with sadness that we say goodbye to Professor Michael (Mike) R. Inggs, Life Senior Member, IEEE, who passed away on Saturday, 3 May 2025.

The passing of Mike is an immeasurable loss to the academic community and all who had the privilege of knowing him. As a dedicated educator, mentor, and visionary, he inspired generations of students and work colleagues, shaping minds with wisdom, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to knowledge. These contributions extended beyond the lecture halls, leaving an enduring legacy in research, scholarship, and the pursuit of excellence.

Mike was not only a brilliant intellectual but also a guiding light — someone who believed in the power of education to transform lives. Mike will be remembered as one of the most knowledgeable people in the field of radar engineering. His influence internationally was widespread, and he will be dearly missed.

Mike was born in 1951 at Uitenhage, South Africa. He was educated at Muir College (Uitenhage), St. Andrew's College (Grahamstown, Matriculation, 1969), Rhodes University (Grahamstown, BSc.(Hons.), Physics, 1973) and London University (Imperial College, London, PhD, DIC, 1979).

He worked at Decca Radar Research Labs (Hersham, UK), ERA Technology (Leatherhead, UK), Raytheon Company (Norwood Mass.), ESD (Halfway House, RSA), South African Naval Dockyard (Simon's Town) and had been with the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Cape Town, since 1988. In 2002, he was given an ad hominem promotion to Professor. He was a member of the IEEE (USA) and ran the Advanced Computer Engineering Laboratory (ACELab), as a joint appointment with UCT. Shortly after joining UCT, he worked in imaging radar and established the Radar Remote Sensing Group. It is impossible to record all of Mike's achievements, not only in South Africa, but internationally. We are sure Mike’s legacy will live on through everyone who interacted with and knew him.

Mike joined Dragonfly Aerospace in January 2020, but had been working with members of the Dragonfly team for over two decades. He was part of the Dragonfly Advisory Council and played a pivotal role in establishing its radar capability. He was a great friend and mentor to many people within Dragonfly and will be missed dearly.

Mike was also a valued member of the IEEE South Africa community volunteering actively in various capacities and as Chapter Secretary for IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society/Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society South Africa Joint Chapter (AES10/GRS29) up to the time of his passing. We trust that his legacy as a star engineer shall remain with those he taught, guided, worked and lived with. He surely contributed to furthering human knowledge and improving countless lives and as IEEE South Africa community, he will be sorely missed.

One of Mike's key hobbies was playing the Highland Bagpipes with the Cape Town Highlanders.

Mike leaves behind his wife and four children. May he rest in peace. He will be missed dearly.

View more tributes for Mike online:

·         https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7325394259182796801/

·         https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7325541621603700736/

Also, read Mike’s review on synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology for IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society during its Jubilee celebrations in 2023, published in IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9935306