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Denel is in discussions with various government departments including the South African Air Force (SAAF) on upgrading the Rooivalk combat helicopter and developing a next generation Rooivalk Mk 2, which is being marketed to potential foreign clients. Denel revealed plans for the next generation Rooivalk during a demonstration event at the Denel Overberg Test Range (DOTR) in the Western Cape earlier this month, during which the Rooivalk fired two Mokopa precision guided missiles as part of ongoing qualification testing. Mike Kgobe, CEO of Denel Aviation, told defenceWeb that the demonstration was based on renewed interest expressed in the helicopter, especially...

Within the next 18 months Denel will have a clear idea of whether it will restart Rooivalk production as it talks to possible partner nations/clients and engages with the Department of Defence. Both the South African and foreign militaries have expressed interest in restarting production. Riaz Saloojee, Denel Group CEO pointed out to defenceWeb that defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is on record saying that the Rooivalk needs to be re-established as a strategic sovereign capability for use in places like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Saloojee told defenceWeb that Denel is establishing a roadmap for the Rooivalk which will...

During last week’s African Aerospace and Defence show in South Africa Denel Dynamics revealed that the Marlin active radar-guided missile will undertake its first flight test early next year. This will be a ground-launched ballistic trial at the Overberg Test Range to examine the missile’s basic flight systems. Successful completion of this phase will lead to programmed tests of the missile’s guidance systems, before closed-loop guidance tests are undertaken, in which the seeker controls the guidance system. In the meantime, the seeker will undergo ground-based fly-over and captive-carry tests. Marlin is being developed to a South African DoD/Armscor contract for...

Denel sees a future for the Rooivalk combat helicopter and is engaging with the Department of Defence and Armscor on the future production of the aircraft, according to Denel Group CEO Riaz Saloojee. Saloojee was speaking during the presentation of Denel’s annual financial results on Friday. “Given the capabilities of this aircraft…there will be a future for this platform,” he said. Denel has acknowledged the “excellent performance of the Rooivalk combat support helicopter during deployment as part of peace support operations in Africa,” where it “made a significant impact on the peace enforcement in the region.” “The successful deployment of...

The G6 - Still Outgunning the Competition 15:38 GMT, March 15, 2012 Twenty five years after it astonished the global defence community, South Africa’s G6 self-propelled Gun-Howitzer still sets the standards against which all long-distance artillery are being measured. “The G6 was ahead of its time when it was first launched in 1987,” says Stephan Burger, the CEO of Denel Land Systems. “Through our continuous research and investment in the gun we have ensured it remains ahead of the pack as the most versatile and reliable artillery system in its class.” “We are still outgunning all our global competitors by...

Umbani becomes first SA weapon trailed off Hawk Written by Leon Engelbrecht Thursday, 28 July 2011 14:55 The Denel Dynamics Umbani precision guided munition (PGM) bomb kit optimised for the NATO Mk 82 gravity bomb has been test dropped from a South African Air Force's BAE Systems Hawk Mk120, making it the first indigenous guided weapon trialled from the lead-in fighter aircraft. Denel Dynamics CE Jan Wessels last year May said the development of the bomb kit was being funded by the SAAF as a technology project. According to the Armscor Bulletin System some R34 537 231.11 was spent on...

After 25 years, fully operational Rooivalk attack helicopter has been delivered. Could it herald a rebirth? By: Keith Campbell 20th May 2011 It has taken some 25 years, but South Africa’s attack helicopter programme has finally delivered a fully operational aircraft to the South African Air Force (SAAF). On April 1, five upgraded Denel Rooivalk helicopters were formally handed over to the Chief of the SAAF, Lieutenant-General (Lt-Gen) Carlo Gagiano, at a ceremony at the Denel Aviation facility next to OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg. Six more will follow by the end of this year....

Denel’s Mokopa PGM ready for market Written by Leon Engelbrecht Wednesday, 26 January 2011 Denel Dynamics, the missiles and UAV business in the state arsenal, says it has successfully qualified its Mokopa guided missile. Mokopa is a precision-strike, multi-purpose 10km-plus weapon that can be fired from ground, sea, helicopter and fast-jet launchers. Though initially developed as the primary anti-tank weapon for the Rooivalk combat helicopter, it has since evolved to a multi-purpose missile applicable to both conventional and asymmetrical scenarios. During trials completed last week the missile’s performance was validated utilising precision semi-active laser guidance and a powerful tandem anti-tank...

G6 Renoster: Twisting in the Wind NEWTOWN, Conn. - The G6 Renoster has seen no new sales since Denel completed the export order for Oman in 1999. Production for the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is complete; modernization and retrofit of the 43 systems in SANDF service are ongoing. Despite ongoing development (including the T6 turret and associated 155mm ammunition) and an aggressive international marketing campaign, Denel is facing a lack of sales prospects for the G6 Renoster. In addition to an increasingly wide array of comparable offerings on the international market, Denel's legal problems with India's Ministry of...

SA sells Cheetah jet fighters to Ecuador Denel Aviation has sold 12 Cheetah C supersonic fighter aircraft to Ecuador, the company said on Monday. An agreement to conclude the deal was recently signed by Denel Aviation CEO Mike Kgobe in Ecuador's capital, Quito. Denel Aviation is the design authority of the single-seat fighter that was locally developed as a variant of the Mirage III in the 1980s. In terms of the agreement with the Ecuadorian Air Force, Denel Aviation would continue to provide a comprehensive maintenance and support service for at least five years following the sale, with an option...

Denel Dynamics punting Umkhonto to Vietnam Written by Leon Engelbrecht Thursday, 07 October 2010 06:23 Denel Dynamics is bidding for a naval air defence contract in Vietnam and is offering the South-east Asian nation its Umkhonto short-range air defence missile as fitted on the South African Navy's frigate fleet and six Finnish warships. Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, currently in Hanoi, overnight said “Denel Dynamics has submitted a bid for a contract to supply its surface-to-air missile system to the Vietnamese Navy. We believe that the South African system is superior to other systems and that a successful bid would open...

Ecuador close to sealing deal to buy SA’s Cheetah fighter jets JULIUS BAUMANN Published: 2009/10/06 06:14:17 AM THE Ecuadorian Air Force has taken a step closer to acquiring 12 Cheetah aircraft previously operated by the South African Air Force after naming Denel Aviation as a preferred bidder. Denel Aviation was last year mandated by Armscor, the state agency responsible for the disposal of retired and surplus South African National Defence Force material and equipment, to sell the South African Air Force Cheetah fleet, believed to number about 40 aircraft. The South African Air Force decommissioned its fleet of Cheetah C...

Turkey shortlists Rooivalk attack chopper Cape Town – It is an awe-inspiring sight, watching a nine-ton attack helicopter perform a loop and barrel rolls – the aeronautical equivalent of Luciano Pavarotti performing a perfect pike on the diving board. But this is exactly what Denel Aviation‘s CSH-2 Rooivalk attack helicopter can do – although that is not part of its operational flying capabilities. The Rooivalk was designed to fly in all weather conditions day or night at extremely low level, sometimes at an altitude of 10m, to avoid being detected. Developed in the 1990s, the Rooivalk (“Red Hawk”) is used...

Recent intelligence information revealing dramatic progress in Iraq's nuclear- weapons program has given a new urgency to U.S. and British efforts to build international support for war with Iraq, according to Iraqi opposition leaders interviewed by Insight in London. The information, from recent defectors and other sources working with the broad-based Iraqi National Congress (INC), indicates that Baghdad has made "a recent breakthrough" in production of the fissile material needed to produce the bomb. It was buttressed on Sept. 24 when the British government released an "unprecedented" white paper based in part on classified intelligence information on Iraq's weapons of...