Report: AAD 2008 Written by I.M.G. IPMS SA Media Group

Wednesday, 15 October 2008

Africa Aerospace and Defence 2008 (AAD 2008) – The largest exhibition of Air, Sea and Land equipment on the African Continent.

Background to AAD 2008 By Piet van Schalkwyk - I.M.G.

AAD 2008 was presented at AFB Ysterplaat, Cape Town, South Africa, over the period 17 to 21 September 2008. This was the second of these huge exhibitions to be held at AFB Ysterplaat, following on from AAD 2006. The air component of the exhibitions started many years ago as the Aviation Africa exhibition, which was hosted by the Commercial Aviation Association of South Africa. This was later renamed Aviation Africa International, due to some international participation. A second organisation, the South African Aerospace, Maritime and Defence related Industries Association (AMD) hosted the South African Air Force (SAAF) 75th anniversary exhibitions at AFB Waterkloof, during 1995, which was a huge success, but also incorporating a large military exhibition. With the growing request for further military trade exhibits and an airshow, a joint venture between CAASA and AMD was therefore the obvious way forward. The last Aviation Africa International was held in 1996. In 1998 CAASA and AMD joined in organising an exhibition which was then named Aerospace Africa. The venue for this exhibition was AFB Waterkloof and the amalgamation with AMD Hawk & Gripen at DEXSA 1998 incorporated a greater military influence.

The next step was for the biennial DEXSA (Defence Exhibition of South Africa) and Aerospace Africa to be combined into Africa Aerospace & Defence, jointly hosted and presented by Armscor, AMD and CAASA. This soon grew to the biggest civilian and military aerospace and defence-related shows to be held in Africa. The AAD is jointly hosted by Armscor, AMD, CAASA and the Department of Defence renders support to the exhibition.

Every two years the chairpersonship rotates amongst the three organisations, and AAD 2008 was chaired by AMD, with Mr Simphiwe Hamilton serving as the show director. In his introduction message he mentioned the following: “The combination of the general aviation and defence sectors broadens the scope of what AAD 2008 will offer. Feedback received from exhibitors, confirms that this duality will again result in a healthy infusion of leading edge technologies arriving at cost effective solutions to many security-related and general aviation challenges”.

AAD 2008:

Introduction

The members of the media all met at AFB Ysterplaat on the 16th September 2008, to receive their accreditation passes and a media briefing. Registration was handled expertly and professionally. The media briefing was presented by Mr Billy Nell, who thereafter took the members on a guided tour of the various display halls and facilities. Media facilities were situated conveniently close to the operational control area and a very high level of service was presented by the Media liaison team. Sufficient IT equipment and refreshments were available throughout the whole period of the exhibition and airshow. Some arrangements, on occasions, seemed a bit impractical, but after discussions with the organisers all media members were well accommodated in their various requests.

The Opening Ceremony - Wednesday 17 By Piet van Schalkwyk - I.M.G. September 2008

AAD 2008 was officially opened by Mr Mosiuoa Lekota, the Minister of Defence. He was introduced to the assembled guests by Lt Gen Carlo Gagiano, the Chief of the SAAF.

In his introduction Lt Gen Gagiano mentioned that AAD 2008 was bigger than 2006 and that it was by far the biggest yet of such a type of show. AAD 2008 housed thirty exhibiting countries, with more than 200 exhibitors. The organisers were expecting some 17 000 trade visitors during the three trade days, including 11 Ministers of Defence, 3 Deputy Ministers of Defence, 9 Secretaries for Defence, 8 Chiefs of Defence Forces, 24 Chiefs of Armed

Services, 24 Chiefs of Air

Force and 80 Foreign VIP The arrival of the Minister of Defence and the Chief of the South Defence Delegations. African Air Force Delegations from 20 other African countries were expected.

During his opening remarks, the Minister made it very clear that the government had realised the importance of technology and industries in the development of South Africa and its neighbouring countries, as the African continent is hugely reliant on air transport for growth, stability and service delivery. He mentioned that aerospace was a main component of this. He also mentioned that he hoped that the future would see more African countries as exhibitors and not just as visitors. The Minister made it clear that a requirement existed for more international alliances for mutual programmes, especially seen in the light of Peace Support Operations that had to be carried out using equipment that have stood the test of time.

In line with these requirements the South African Government had launched three Aerospace Support Initiatives. The first of these were various research programmes, managed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the second the new Centurion Aerospace Village centred on design, maintenance and repair, while the third was the National Centre of Aerospace Excellence in Johannesburg.

The aim of these programmes The Emblem of AAD 2008, unveiled by the Minister of Defence is to drive scarce skills and they run beyond the military into the civilian aerospace sector.

The Flag Bearers retire from the Parade Area

AIR

The Ceremonial Commissioning of the Gripen By Piet van Schalkwyk - Advanced Light Fighter Fleet: The rise of a “powerful I.M.G. beast” in the South African skies

In numerical sequence as part of the ceremonial commissioning of the Gripen

One of the most significant items on the programme for Wednesday, 17th September 2008 was the ceremonial commissioning of the Gripen and the handover of the aircraft

to the South African Air Force. The Griffin, or Gryphon in English is a mythological creature – half eagle and half lion. The Gripen was the last of the major weapons acquirement programmes, undertaken during the late 1990’s to be handed over to the various arms of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). This followed deliveries of the Valour Class Frigates and the Type 209 Submarines to the SA Navy and the Augusta 109 Light Utility Helicopters and Hawk Mk 120 Lead-In Fighter-Trainer aircraft to the South African Air Force. The four two-seater Gripens that had already been delivered in South Africa flew over in formation, after which the leader, Lt Col Charl Coetzee gave a solo aerobatic display. All four aircraft then landed, taxied in to the parade area in numerical sequence and did a combined shut-down in front of the crowd. After the pilots had disembarked, Lt Col Glen Gibson, the Officer From Greek mythology - the Gryphon Commanding, 2 Squadron and Lt Col Musa Mbhokota is a powerful beast escorted the Minister of Defence, the Chief of the SANDF and the Chief of the SAAF to meet all the partaking pilots in person.

The first four SAAF Gripens in diamond formation with the solo display aircraft in the lead

These included South Africans Johannes Joubert (Denel Test Pilot) and Col Mike Edwards (SAAF Projects Officer). After returning to the dais, the Commemorative certificate was signed by the three dignitaries.

The Minister of Defence, Lt Col Glen Gibson (Officer Commanding, 2 Sqdn) and Maj Musa Mbhokota. Followed by Chief of the SANDF, Gen Ngwenya and the Chief of the SAAF, Lt Gen Gagiano.

The Minister of Defence thereafter addressed the guests. In his address he highlighted the fact that the Defence Force should be a modern, technologically advanced force and that the Gripen is a potent symbol of that aspiration. He mentioned that Air Power is a key component of modern defence capability and that fighter aircraft fulfil a key

Commissioning Phase Ceremonial Certificate role in enabling the use of the air by friendly forces and

in denying free use to an enemy. The Gripen will be the icon of South Africa’s air capability for several decades to come. The final formality was the hand-over of the Ceremonial Gripen Model by the Minister of Defence to the Chief of the SANDF, who in turn, handed it over to the Chief of the SAAF.

Handing over of the Ceremonial Gripen Model to the Chief of the SANDF, who in turn handed it over the Chief of the SAAF.

Minister of Defence Mr Lekotha - during his address

Solo display pilot Lt Col Charl Coetzee – SAAF

The Silver Falcons receives a new By Ettienne Kotze' - I.M.G. identity

The Silver Falcons in their new colours

The name “Silver Falcons” originated from two prominent reasons. “Silver Falcons” in English and “Silwer Valke” in Afrikaans sounded far better than the name “Bumbling Bees” – which was the name used previously. The other reason being the team used the Impala jet trainer which was painted in high speed silver. In 42 years the team used four major colour schemes.

The original standard colour scheme as used on the SAAF Impala Mk1s were furnished in all over high speed silver with only the tail featuring the three colour bands of the then National flag of orange, white and blue. In addition the individual position numbers were also carried on the tail. In 1984 the first change was introduced. Up until 1984, the SAAF had adopted the viewpoint that it would not The original Silver Falcons in the Republic colour scheme follow other international teams by furnishing the aircraft of the team with a unique identifying colour scheme. WO1 “Kip” le Grange and Col Holmes (team lead and OC of Langebaanweg at the time) played around with the idea of adding some colour.

WO1 Le Grange came up with a few designs while Col Homes convinced the powers that be, the repainting of the aircraft would be within a limited budget and could be done by the paint shop at Langebaanweg. The first design had only the orange, white and blue on the nose section of the Impala Mk1. It proved inspirational and soon the design was altered to extend from the fuselage of the aircraft to the tail section (thus replacing the traditional three coloured bands) and applied on the outer side of wingtip tanks. The lower wing surfaces of the fuselage featured a “sun burst effect” in three colours on both the wing and the horizontal stabiliser. Position numbers were in a solid black format which later changes to orange with a black offset. This was known as the Republic colour scheme. The scheme changed in 1994 where the design stayed the same but the colours changed to that of the SAAF, being light blue, white and dark blue with the position numbers being black. During 1995 the sun burst was added to the upper wing surfaces as well as a thinner dark blue border next to the light blue to ease formation flying. A final change to the Impala era was to addition of the National flag to the tail.

A close-up of the new colour scheme

With the birth of Democracy came dramatic changes. The Impala era drew to a close and an all new trainer aircraft in the form of the Pilatus PC-7 Mk II Astra replaced the Harvard and took over some of the Impala Mk1 functions. The SAAF did not replace the Impala with a dedicated jet powered aircraft at that point in time. Sadly it was also the end of an era of unique colour schemes as the earlier decision the fly the aircraft in their standard colours was re-introduced. Being a trainer, the aircraft was painted in the international trainer scheme of Post Office red and white. Through the years the “Silver Falcons” received an un-official nick name as the “Flying Coke Tins”. Although the standard high precision formation aerobatics prevailed doing justice to their duty as cockpit ambassadors for the SAAF.

Silver Falcons made use of the PC-7 MkII Astra in the training colour scheme at AAD 2008

There had been plans to introduce another unique colour scheme and a competition was launched a few years ago where the public could vote for a new colour scheme. Although a winner was announced the scheme never saw the light of day as it was not approved by the SAAF. During 2008, the idea was revisited by the current team (Team 65 under the leadership of Maj Scott Ternett). The Chief of the Air Force, Lt Genl C. Gaggiano was in favour of the proposal and plans to re-brand the “Silver Falcons” were set in motion yet again. The team was very much involved with the design and with the help of modern day CAD, four possible designs were chosen. This was introduced to the public for the first time during an Aviators evening at Ysterplaat in early 2008. During the function a sponsor came forward. Kuba Miszewski of First African Signs generously offered to sponsor the paint to be used during the re-paint, thus keeping the cost to a minimum for the tax-payer. The final design was approved and on the 19th of May 2008 the first, two PC-7 Mk II aircraft arrived at AFB Ysterplaat. Here, 2ASU (detached) with Col Daniël Sutherland as project manager started work in all earnest. But repainting an

aircraft is not just a matter of spraying a new coat of paint. The first step was to prepare the current paint. Called “scuffing”, the paint is roughened with use of sand paper. At the same time the aircraft was inspected for corrosion and the control services was removed.

Once done the primer coat was applied and this was followed by scuffing with a lesser grade sanding material similar to ordinary Scotchgaurd, before the final paint process could get underway. The design was laid down using a negative decal template. Many a foul word was used during this process- especially while the under wing surfaces were done due the awkward and restricted working areas. The control services were painted separately as it required balancing before being re-fitted. All the emergency stencilling was applied, before the paint received a final light scuffing followed by the final clear coat. It took twenty six working hours to complete one aircraft with two being worked on at the same time.

Six aircraft were re-painted which cannot be used for training purposes anymore due to the new colour scheme. It was the wish of the Chief of the Air Force for the new colour scheme to be kept a secret and only to be unveiled at the 2008 Africa Aerospace and Defence show. It was a tall order and the last aircraft was only completed with less than a week to spare.

Serial Numbers of the new colour scheme:

Positon Number Serial

1 2023

2 2018

3 2024

4 2025

5 2027

6 2020

On the evening of 16 September 2008 during a lavish cocktail party (and in true military style), the new Silver Falcons were unveiled. The paint shop at AFB Ysterplaat was transformed from a work area to a function area. Behind a black curtain stood a PC-7 MkII in a newly painted colour scheme in waiting. Complete with

Unveiled at a special ceremony smoke, laser lights and dramatic music the curtain dropped to reveal a dark blue PC-7 with a white and silver falcon on the side, the South Africa flag on the tail, diagonal

lines on the upper wing surfaces and a feather-like effect covering almost the entire underside of the aircraft. Maj. Scott Ternett accepted the logbook of the aircraft before the Chief of the Air Force, Lt. Gen. C. Gagiano addressed the guests. He was also presented with a print of the new scheme, still unframed with the paint “still wet” as it was printed only a short while before the ceremony. It was a proud team and an even prouder Chief of

New no 3 - Maj Alex MacPhail welcoming Lt Buti Tsebe the Air Force that took delivery of the newly painted aircraft.

To commemorate the occasion, a limited number of booklets were printed, describing the process and showcasing the Silver Falcons in the new colour scheme over Cape Town. Although the Falcons flew over Cape Town the week prior to AAD 2008, no-one could really make-out what they looked like and the public had to wait until the opening ceremony of AAD when they flew the 1st official Book on the new colour scheme display in the new colours.

During the same function, the team also said farewell to an outgoing member and welcomed another. During the display on the Sunday morning as part of the airshow of AAD 2008, Maj. Alex MacPhail performed his last Silver Falcons display. Lt. Buti Tsebe was welcomed as the new Number 3. The Silver Falcons flew several displays during AAD 2008– each proving to be as popular as the previous display. Lt. Tsebe flew his first display on the Sunday afternoon which formed part of the closing down ceremony of AAD 2008. The Silver Falcons now have a new colour scheme with a new team.

Team 67 members (l-r): Capt. D Deetliefs (No 4), Capt. G du Sautoy (No 2), Maj. S Ternent (No 1), Maj. A MacPhail (No 3) and Maj N Frylink (5)

New no 3 - Lt Buti Tsebe

The future of the UAV in SA certainly looks By Hein Burger - I.M.G. rosy

DENEL Seeker 400

In August 2008, the CSIR published RFP number 004/08/22/2008:

"The following main areas of work should be considered and proposals may be submitted to address any number of them:

 Improving the access to airspace for UAVs through initiatives such as legislative changes, airworthiness certification, etc.  Improvement to the safety and reliability of UAVs  The reduction of the total cost of operating UAVs  Any other specialised research that would enhance the state of the industry."

(RFP number 004/08/22/2008 has been withdrawn, but is due to be replaced with a new process achieving the project aims in due course.)

This seems to indicate that the future of the UAV in South

Africa appears to be, high up, in the skies above us. And so it should be. South Africa was one of the pioneers in the operational use of UAVs, and although their application so far has overwhelmingly been in the military field, there has long been a call for them to be used in paramilitary and civilian roles. Despite the fact that South Africa was one of the first countries to allow UAVs to fly in controlled airspace, little use has been made of these useful little UAV Tracking Overview aircraft in the civilian role.

Several years ago, a Denel UAV was used to spot and track abalone (perlemoen) poachers near Gansbaai along the Cape coast. The Police were alerted and were waiting for the poachers when they landed. Despite this success, and the other obvious applications such as border patrol, tracking cash in transit vehicles, traffic control, etc., there has thus far been no further use of UAVs for law enforcement.

Fortunately, things seem to be about to change.

The SA Police Service is reportedly in talks with several UAV manufacturers with the intention of deploying UAVs for crowd control at the 2010 Soccer World Cup. According to the Sunday Times of 21 September 2008, ATE’s Kiwit, Lockheed Martin’s Desert Hawk and the Denel Seeker are all in contention. (This choice seems a bit uneven as the Desert Hawk and Seeker are both MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) UAVs, whereas the Kiwit is a Mini-UAV. The two types of system cannot really be expected to compete head to head.) If one system per stadium is purchased, this will provide the SA Police Service with 10 UAVs that can be applied to general law enforcement once the World Cup is over. Maybe not enough to seriously

ZEISS Leo Turret with filters make an impact on the crime rate, but at least it will form a removed nucleus to prove the concept. Against this background, it is not surprising so many exhibitors at AAD 2008 had UAVs on offer. If one not only looked at the models on display at AAD 2008, but read the available literature as well, it was obvious that UAVs are big business. The number of models in production worldwide is quite staggering.

Unfortunately there were few full size examples on display, and none were demonstrated, perhaps due to the busy flight schedule at AFB Ysterplaat and the proximity to Cape Town International. At first glance it appears that the twin – boom pusher prop layout that has been in service for the last few decades is still very much in vogue.

There were however, some interesting and radical new designs on display, including models from the CPUT and CSIR. The Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT)’s GUARDIAN (not to be confused with Bombardier Aircraft’s VTOL UAV of the same name) was painted in a rather fanciful camouflage scheme and, judging by its size and model aircraft

CPUT Guardian powerplant, would be of limited range. No details on payload were available.

The CSIR had several concept craft on display – a sleek, three pod twin engined ”modular UAV” concept, the fairly conventional "Indiza", as well as the blended wing-body “Sekwa” demonstrator. One of the few full sized models on display was Denel’ Seeker 400, CSIR Twin Engined Modular UAV which took pride of place outside one of the hangars.

Seeker 400 is about 40% larger than its predecessor, and has a 16 hour endurance with a 100 kg. payload. The Seeker was displayed with the Zeiss Leo-III-HD(MW) turret, which can accommodate up to 4 High Definition TV cameras covering a zoom range of up to 166X, from the visible to the CSIR Indiza Concept near infra-red spectrum, as well as thermal imaging.

The French firm of Sagem also had a full size UAV on display – the Sperwer. (Pronounce the name in Afrikaans – it is named after the Dutch word for Sparrowhawk). The Sperwer has a large, mid - mounted delta wing and pusher propeller, and reportedly has a range of 150km. and a 5 hour endurance. It is in service in France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Greece and Canada.

SAGEM Spewer Mk II

The E-Swift Eye “Look over the Hill” battlefield UAV, could easily be mistaken for a scale model as the wingspan is only 1.5m. It is made by the British firm of Cyberflight and easily wins the prize for “Cutest on Show”. This little battery powered tailless delta has a range of 9 km and an endurance of 60 minutes. This craft is controlled from a ruggedized PC, and is fully autonomous. A maximum of 10 E- Swift Eyes can be controlled from a single PC, although four is a more practical number. Multiple craft can also be configured to “swarm” in order to cover a larger area, and they can be Cyberflight E-Swift Eye assigned to follow a ground target. The E-Swift Eye is transportable in 2 man – packs. The construction is of foam and it breaks up into 4 compact pieces for easy transportation. The battery can be recharged in 60 minutes.

A 1:12 scale model of the EADS Barracuda fully autonomous UAV/UCAV technology demonstrator was also on show. This craft has a predatory look that fully justifies its name. The full – scale model has a wingspan of 7.22 m and a top speed of around mach 0.85. (Compare this span to that of the Gripen, which has a wingspan of 8.44 m).

It is of a stealth design and

constructed mainly of carbon fibre. The powerplant is a Pratt & Whitney JT15D turbofan engine, similar to that used on a Cessna Citation. The level of autonomy is such that everything from engine start to landing is controlled automatically. The first

prototype was destroyed EADS Baracuda UAV Demonstrator during a test flight, but there are reports of additional prototypes being constructed.

Apart from the surveillance UAVs, there were also several unmanned target drones exhibited, such as the EADS DO-DT 45. This is a High Speed Sea Skimming “Direct Kill” target drone. It is powered by twin turbojets which ensure a constant infrared signature, and can carry a variety of payloads. Either a “hot nose” or IR tracking flares can EADS DO-DT 45 provide the IR target, and an optional radar amplifier provides radar tracking.

When fitted with a radar altimeter, it can cruise at altitude as low as 18 ft. The twin turbojets ensure a constant infrared signature. Recovery after being shot down is by 2- stage parachute. Electronics Systems Laboratory (ESL) of the University of Stellenbosch showcased some of the very interesting research that they are doing in the fields of both autonomous unmanned airship technology and autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles. They are also looking at a co-axial, counter rotating ducted fan aircraft to be used as a naval target drone, and in conjunction with Rotorway, busy developing full scale helicopter automation.

New Pumas for Old? By Hein Burger - I.M.G.

ZU-PUM Technology demonstrator from Thunder City

Thunder City proudly displayed their refurbished Puma, ZU-PUM at AAD 2008. This aircraft has just received an upgrade to the avionics – an all-glass Chelton suite. At the official launch of the upgrade at AAD 2008, Thunder City’s CEO Emilio Titus revealed that Thunder City, in association with Cobham South Africa, are the first company globally to successfully upgrade the Puma SA330 to a true 21st century avionics level.

Full glass cockpit for the trusty Puma

The Chelton suite consists of:

 Primary Flight Displays with advanced HUD symbology  Multifunctional Flight Displays  Attitude and Direction Heading Reference Systems  Air Data Computer  GPS Wide Augmentation System  A Synchro-converter which integrates the Cheltham digital avionics with the Puma’s analogue autopilot Thunder City plan to use ZU- PUM as a demonstrator to sell the Chelton upgrade to other operators of the Aerospatiale Puma. The Puma, as one of the world’s most iconic and hard working helicopters, is granted a new lease of life thanks to the technical wizards at Thunder City in Cape Town. This upgrade is seen as a cost effective way to prolong the life of the Puma, and is a viable alternative to replacing the aircraft with newer models. Mr. Titus revealed that Thunder City had 3 additional Puma airframes that would be upgraded to the same standard as ZU-PUM.

 Although there are no plans for Thunder City to source additional airframes, the Puma modernization programme aims to attract Puma operators worldwide, including from Europe and Asia. There has been strong interest from the SAAF to make use of their services, and Kenya, the UAE and the DRC are other possible clients. (It is known that there are 15 Pumas in the DRC that have been stored in the open for 7 years, which would put them in the roughly the same condition as the airframes sourced from the SAAF.) The upgrade could readily be adapted to other aircraft from the same stable, such as the Super Puma and Oryx. Eurocopter were initially sceptical about Thunder City’s ability to replace the Puma’s old gyros with the Cheltham digital avionics, but have since given the project their blessing. Eurocopter have also been in discussions with TC to upgrade Pumas. ZU-PUM has had much more than just an avionics upgrade. The comprehensive rebuild performed by Thunder City includes the non-destructive testing of structural components, corrosion prevention and the identification of critical calendar-based components for replacement.

 According to Chief Engineer, Danie Swart, the wiring looms were removed and completely remade. The opportunity was also taken to trace and label all the wiring, and to draw up wiring diagrams for the aircraft. It is proposed that the modernization programme will eventually be extended to include updated engine management systems, which may in future be superseded by an engine replacement scheme.

Civilian Aircraft at AAD 2008 By Piet van Schalkwyk - I.M.G.

 AAD 2008 also had a large number of civilian aircraft on display. The market for business and corporate travel in South Africa has steadily grown the last few year and most of the “usual big names” in this sector of the Aerospace Industry had products on display. The biggest of the aircraft on display was the Boeing 727- 200X, ZS-PVX, displayed by the Paramount Logistics Group. This aircraft surely has all the fittings that any business traveller could require and some of this includes a double state room with queen size bed, a two-place divan and

ZS-PVX Boeing 727-200X entertainment system. The en- suite bathroom comprises a shower, a basin, a toilet and a bidet.

 It is also equipped with a four-place executive lounge/private office with entertainment system, a fourteen-place executive salon with entertainment system, an eighteen place aft business class seating area and a crew rest area, comprising of a three-place divan and four seats, with its own restroom and galley. The aircraft previously belonged to the Nigerian Government and DENEL repainted it in the present colour scheme. The French company Dassault Aviation, well known in South African circles for its family of Mirage fighters that were operated by the SAAF had the latest in their Falcon series of business jets on display. The Falcon 7X has a very good performance, ideally suited to the hot and high conditions so often experienced in South Africa. Dassault claims that the Falcon 7X will out-perform competitive jets in challenging situations such as takeoffs from hot, high-altitude airports with impossibly short runways.   Captured in an artistic moment the beatiful Dassault Falcon 7X

The leading jet in the fleet has already passed the 1000 flying hours mark. The initial

announcement of the concept of this aircraft was made at the Paris Air Show in June 2001, where it was labelled the FNX. The name “Falcon” maintains continuity with the two previous generations of business jets, inaugurated with the Falcon 20 in 1963. The “7” in the name was selected for its magical qualities and for its ability to Ultra high tech cockpit define the Dassault business jet vision for the future, while the “X” completes the story by its progressive and high technology connotation.

Cessna 400

Cessna had a number of aircraft on display, ranging from the small Cessna 400 to the Cessna Sovereign business jet. The Cessna 400 is a composite aircraft, similar to the previous Cirrus aircraft, built by the Columbia Aircraft Company, before its acquisition by Cessna. The Cessna 400 has a Garmin G1000 glass cockpit with two side mounted control sticks. The two large displays fill the whole panel, with the standby instruments placed vertically to the left thereof. The Cessna 400 is fitted with a Garmin GFC 700 fully integrated flight control system and has a maximum calibrated airspeed of 235 knots with a service ceiling of 25000 ft.

The Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, or “Grandvan” as it is often called, has already established a reputation as a very good working aircraft in the charter market in Southern Africa. The aircraft is four feet longer than the standard Caravan models as used by the SAAF and is fitted with a more powerful PT6A-114A engine. The aircraft on display also had the below fuselage cargo pod fitted, which has just about become a standard fitting on any Caravan operating in South Africa. The aircraft can typically operate with two N208GH C208B Grand Caravan crew members and twelve passengers. The Caravan is not pressurised, so operates at a maximum altitude of 12,000ft when carrying passengers.

The Cessna Citation CJ2+ is a five feet stretch extension of the Cessna Citation CJ1 first delivered in the year 2000. The newer CJ2+ has updated avionics, increased performance, and FADEC controls. The CJ2+ was first delivered in April 2006 and has a crew of two with space for seven passengers. These jets are powered by two Williams International FJ-44-3A turbofans and are certified to fly at 45000 feet. The CJ2+ features an external baggage N407CJ Cessna 525A Citation CJ2+ storage facility and typically cruises at 418 knots and has a range of 1,613 nautical miles. The Cessna Citation Sovereign is a mid-size business jet developed by Cessna. It is currently the second largest member of the Citation product line, with only the Citation X being larger. The Sovereign is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW306C turbofan engines with FADEC controls and has the capacity for between eight and twelve passengers. The aircraft has a maximum speed of 458 knots, with a service ceiling of 47000 ft and a typical range of 2800 nm. During March 2008, the South African Police Services also replaced their old VIP Beech Jet 400 with a Cessna Sovereign, ZS-SAP.

The Bombardier Global Express is an ultra long range corporate and VIP high speed jet aircraft produced by Bombardier Aerospace. The Global Express can fly intercontinental ranges without refuelling. The Global Express XRS is an improved version of the original aircraft, offering higher cruise speed, increased range, improved cabin layout and lighting. The range increase is achieved by addition of a 674 kg fuel tank at the wing root. The Global Express XRS entered service in early 2006, has a typical cruising speed of 488 knots and a service ceiling of 51000ft. The aircraft has a typical range of 6325 nm. The aircraft also has a 'zero flaps' take-off ability, which allows access to more 'hot and high' airports. The first flight of the aircraft took place in January 2005 and it entered service in December 2005. The aircraft can carry twelve passengers.

The Socata TBM 850 is a six seat turbo-propeller aircraft.

Socata is represented in South Africa by Naturelink. The power plant of the TBM 850 is a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66D. It delivers 1 825 eshp flat-rated to 850 shp for the TBM 850. Its single crystal compressor turbine blades enable higher operating temperatures and, coupled with a new first stage compressor design, gives the TBM 850 its enhanced high- ZS-BCI TBM-850 altitude performance.

ExecuJet, one of the prime business jet operating companies in South Africa, had ZS- PTL, a Learjet 45 on display at AAD 2008. The Learjet 45 is equipped with advanced flight software and architecture, such as an Engine Instrument and Crew Advisory System (EICAS) and on-board maintenance diagnostics, to minimise pilot and maintenance workloads. The fuselage is manufactured at the Bombardier Aerospace facilities in Belfast. De Havilland of Canada is responsible for the manufacture of the wings. Bombardier Aerospace Learjet in Wichita, Kansas, is responsible for final assembly, fitting, test and flight certification. The aircraft is equipped with a Honeywell Primus 1000 electronic flight and information system with a Primus 1000 digital autopilot and flight director. The passenger cabin seats up to nine passengers in double- club seating. The aircraft has the ability to climb to the initial cruise altitude in 23 minutes and six seconds. The long-range cruise speed is 778km/h and the maximum operating altitude is 51,000ft.

ZS-PTL Learjet 45

The Beechcraft Premier I is designed to compete with the Cessna Citation series of business jets. The Premier I is

constructed with a high- strength composite, carbon fibre/epoxy honeycomb fuselage. The Premier I can be certified as light aircraft for operation by a single pilot. The aircraft is equipped with two Williams International FJ44-2A engines. The maximum cruising speed is 461kt, while the maximum certificated

operating altitude is 41,000 ft. ZS-DDM Raytheon 390 Premier I The main cabin seats six passengers in the standard configuration, with four seats in a club arrangement and two seats behind them, while the baggage compartments are in the nose and tail.

South Africa is no newcomer to Hawker Siddeley products and any aviation enthusiast will still well remember the sad day when three SAAF Hs- 125 Mercurius VIP transport jets collided into Table

Mountain, while practising for a fly past. It was therefore appropriate to see two Hawker products at Ysterplaat, the SAAF base nestling at the foot of Table Mountain. ZS-SDU, a BAe HS-125-700A and N951XP a Hawker 900XP, were both observed at AAD 2008. The Hawker 700 was a Series 600 version powered by TFE731 turbofan engines introduced by the mid-1970s. The more

fuel efficient turbofans ZS-SDU BAe HS-125-700A doubled the Hawker 700's range compared to its predecessor. In 1983, British Aerospace, which had merged with Hawker Siddeley Corporation, introduced the Hawker Series 800.

In 1993, Raytheon Company purchased British Aerospace Corporate Jets. In 1994, Raytheon Corporate Jets merged with Beech Aircraft and the resulting company was named Raytheon Aircraft Company (RAC). In March 2007, Raytheon completed the sale of RAC to Hawker Beechcraft Inc. In 1995, RAC introduced an enhanced Hawker 800 version called the Hawker 800XP.

The Hawker 900XP is an improved and re-engined version of the Hawker 800. Featuring enhanced winglets and new Honeywell TFE731-50R engines, the Hawker 900XP offers increased hot/high- altitude takeoff, climb and cruise performance as well as a 6.9 percent range increase over the Hawker 850XP. The aircraft has

the ability to climb direct to the Hawker 900XP N951XP maximum cruising altitude of 41,000ft at maximum take-off weight. Other features include standard thrust reversers and an in-flight operable APU.

The GA8 Airvan, ZS-PVM, was exhibited by Airvan Africa. This company is the exclusive supplier of Airvan in Africa and is situated in Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape. The Airvan is an eight seat aircraft designed for simple maintenance and operations from short strips in unimproved conditions. The aircraft is fully corrosion proof for the harsh environment that it is designed to operate in. The

Airvan is powered by an IO ZS-PMV GA8 Airvan 540 Lycoming engine and all controls are mechanical. The instrument fit includes a large GPS moving map for easy navigation. Embraer Phenom By Ettienne Kotze' - I.M.G. 300

Embraer says it “Full- fills the promise of private flight” – that is the new Phenom 300 Light Jet.

Embraer took a different approach to AAD this year. Where, two years ago they made quite an impact

with their AEW&C-45, Phenom 300 in mock up form during 2008 they

showcased the brand new Phenom 300 to Africa. Although only in full size mock-up form, it achieved the feeling of real luxury flying.

First announced to the world in May 2005, the Phenom 300 took to the skies for the 1st

time at 15h03 on the 29th April 2008. Being the 1st “clean sheet” light jet design in a generation the turn around time achieved is remarkable. The 300 boasts an interior designed by BMW Group, DesignWorks of the USA. It is set apart from its rivals by having the largest “airstair” door, cabin and windows in its class. Comfort levels are superb and one can see why this luxury jet is judged the best in the light jet category.

Hopefully we’ll see a real Phenom 300 at AAD 2010.

EUROCOPTER By Piet van Schalkwyk - I.M.G.

Eurocopter is one of five divisions of EADS. During 2007 Eurocopter was again the main helicopter manufacturer in civil and parapublic markets. The EC- 135 is the no 1 Emergency Services helicopter in the world and 802 new helicopters were ordered during the year. The value of sales has more

than doubled since 2003. The EC 130 spread between

civil/parapublic and military helicopter sales is almost equal, although the military side is expected to grow due to more NH-90 helicopter deliveries and orders in future. Eurocopter has 2694 customers, operating more than 10 161 helicopters in 142 countries, with 80% of the

ZS-RBS, AS350 B3 operated by Silver Cross operators having less than four helicopters. During 2007

there were around 2200 turbine helicopters in the African market, with Eurocopter representing ± 36 % of the total fleet with around 800 helicopters. Of these helicopters, 76 % were based in 8 countries, with the main operators being in South Africa, Angola, Nigeria, Egypt and Maghreb. The company has maintenance agreements ZS-RZA, EC-130 B4 operated by Western Cape Metro Emergency Services with South Africa (Denel), Kenya and Algeria in addition to Eurocopter SA Ltd (ESAL).

ESAL (formed from Lansav Helicopters in 1994) is the Eurocopter distributor for South Africa, since 1981. Their 2007 financial figures also showed a threefold increase since 2005. The activities include sales and marketing of the Eurocopter

range, re-assembly and customization, training, spares provision and maintenance support. Recent successes included further sales to Silver Cross for two additional AS350 B3 (no’s 5 and 6) and the delivery of no 4, the signing of a multi-year contract with the SAR-EMS operator Red Cross

for three EC130 B4’s and the The venerable BK 117 first AS350 B to B2 status conversion done in ESAL, for Interior configuration for the Emergency Medical Response role Alpine Aviation. Other successes were the signing of a maintenance contract with the SAPS for the AS350 B3, Bo 105 and BK-117 fleets and the delivery of the first law enforcement AS350 B3s for the Botswana and Namibian

Police Forces. Both of these forces have established air wings, based on perceived requirements for the 2010 World Soccer Cup actions.

ESAL is at present re- furbishing their Cape Town facilities and have also detached two full time

AME/Technicians to support The venerable BK 117 helicopters based at Cape Town, George and Port Elizabeth. In Johannesburg they are building new premises, which will be occupied during 2009, to triple the working surfaces. An approved Service Centre has also been established in Kenya during 2008.

BOEING Integrated Defence Systems By Piet van Schalkwyk - I.M.G.

Boeing IDS was formed in 2002, integrating Boeing’s defence, space, intelligence and communications capabilities. IDS has developed and successfully implemented Industrial Programmes in over 40 countries. It has identified certain defence needs in Africa, including dealing with civil wars, counter-insurgency operations, illegal immigration, refugee protection and monitoring movement missions. To counter some of these the requirements for airborne lift, border security, information gathering, coastal defence and data integration is most relevant. Boeing IDS presented the C-17 and Chinook as a perfect airlift team. At present 177 C-17’s have been delivered as well as a total of 1179 Chinooks. The ability of the C-17 to carry large payloads over strategic distances is a big factor in the need for strategic airlift to deliver immense quantities of supplies quickly and as close as possible to those in need. The supplies then need to be transported to remote areas with little or no infrastructure and the Chinooks have proven invaluable because the tandem rotor configuration provides large useful loads of food, water and medical supplies in hot and high environments. During the 2004 Tsunami Humanitarian Aid effort, Chinooks delivered more than 24 500 000 pounds of supplies, in a total of 4876 flying hours. IDS also presented some information on three Boeing 737 derivative programmes, namely the 737 AEW & C Programme, the C-40 Programme and the P-8 Programme.

The C-40 is a special-mission aircraft derived from the Boeing 737 Business Jet. The aircraft can be configured to provide VIP transport, intra- theatre passenger and cargo capability and economically airlift capability. In the various configurations the aircraft can carry 121 passengers or 8 pallets or a combination load of 3 pallets and 70 passengers. The P-8A Poseidon is viewed as a replacement for the P-3 Orion and is the US Navy’s newest maritime patrol aircraft. It is based on the Boeing 737-800.

The Boeing P-8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Agusta-Westland By Piet van Schalkwyk - I.M.G.

Two Super Lynx Mk 64 helicopters from the SAAF

Agusta-Westland is the supplier of the Super Lynx Mk 64 helicopters to the SAAF. The four helicopters on order have all been delivered. They were officially handed over to the SAAF during a ceremony at the Simonstown Naval Base on 15 February 2008, when all four helicopters were displayed, with three landing on Valour class frigates and the fourth being displayed on the SAS Drakensberg. See link . Although the SAAF will be accountable for the helicopters, their operations will be totally integrated into that of the ships on which they will operate. During AAD 2008, two helicopters, namely 191 and 194 gave a very good formation display, while 192 was available as a reserve aircraft. Lynx 193 was on display to the public and in a very good public relations effort, it was displayed in

company with the SAAF Agusta-Westland Super Lynx Mk 64, 193, in the company of Museum’s Westland Wasp, 93, Westland Wasp, 93 the helicopter type that

served in the same role that the Lynx are now being operated in.

Two A109s from the SAAF

Agusta-Westland also supplied the Agusta 109 LUH helicopters to the SAAF, with 24 of these helicopters on order to replace the Alouette III fleet. The helicopters are already in service with all the helicopter squadrons that operate transport helicopters and are supported by the final few BK-117 helicopters, still being operated by 15 Squadron C- Flight from Port Elizabeth. The helicopter on display, 4021 carried the markings of 15 Squadron, Durban. It was equipped with floatation gear and a hoist, a clear indication that the helicopter can also be used for maritime rescue sorties, in addition to the land rescue and command and control roles that it has mainly been displayed in at the various airshows around the country.

In addition to the military helicopters, Agusta –Westland also had some civilian helicopters on display. These were an Agusta Grand, ZS- HMV, an AW-119 Ke Koala, ZS- HRV and the AW-139, ZS-EOS in its eye-catching paint scheme. ZS-HMV is a brand new helicopter, only being completed on 19 March 2008. The seats in the helicopter are built up quite close to the ceiling, thus almost closing the VIP passenger compartment off from the flight deck. The Agusta-Westland AW119 Koala is an eight-seat utility helicopter powered by a single Agusta Grand, ZS-HMV engine and is intended to appeal to operators for whom the lower running costs of a single-engine aircraft outweigh the redundancy of a twin.

The design was derived from the Agusta 109, but with only a single engine and with fixed skids replacing the retractable wheeled landing gear. A key selling point is its wide- body fuselage, seating passengers three-abreast in the cabin, or allowing for two litters and medical attendants to be carried in the medical evacuation role, whereas most similar-sized helicopters can only carry one. The Koala on display at AAD 2008, had a Bambi-bucket attached to the lower fuselage lifting point.

Super Hind Mk III By Piet van Schalkwyk - I.M.G.

Super Hind Mk III

ATE again had their upgraded Super Mi-24 Mk 3 on display. The helicopter was displayed at AAD 2006, fitted with new composite rotor blades. New at AAD 2008 were the sand filters fitted to the front of the engines. It has previously been acknowledged that some of the modifications to this helicopter have been applied to the fleet of a North-African customer and one wonders whether these filters will also form part of this upgrade programme sometime in the future. SEA

HMS Liverpool By Charles Hugo - I.M.G.

HMS Liverpool

One of the advantages of staging AAD in Cape Town is the ability to have a full blown naval component show cased to the public. The 2008 event saw a Royal Navy type 42 destroyer, HMS Liverpool pay a visit to Cape Town during the show period. This ship as well as two SA Navy vessels, a frigate and a submarine were on hand for the public to visit during the AAD public days.

The I.M.G. were fortunate to be able to have an in-depth guided tour of the ship and after a background presentation by the captain of HMS Liverpool, Commodore Craig it was on to a walk around through the vessel. HMS Liverpool is a cold war warrior in such that she was primarily designed as an anti aircraft defence system. Two of her sister ships were sunk during the Falkland campaign during the 1980’s defending the various naval vessels from air strikes.

HMS Liverpool’s duties include the traditional showing the flag where she was on station off the Falkland Islands before her deployment to Cape Town in support of the UK DTI exhibition at AAD 2008. Her normal naval duties would also include anti aircraft defence with her twin Sea

Dart missiles and her 4.5” gun Lynx - Note GPMG will supply suitable battery fire in support of ground forces on land as well as having the capability to engage other vessels at sea. Her Sea Lynx Mk3 is used in anti submarine and anti-ship missions as well as transporting and supporting Royal Marines as required. The helicopter also fulfils a valuable search and rescue function.

Due to the changing face of the modern era of conflict the duties of the vessel have changed substantially. These additional duties that the ship performs in the modern era are assisting in identifying drug and other illicit smugglers routes and passing the information to the relevant local authorities to act upon. This is even reflected in the fitting of a pintle mounted GPMG on the Lynx Mk3 that the ship is equipped with. There are also more peaceful tasks that the vessel can assist with that are definitely not warlike. HMS Liverpool has recently participated in humanitarian aid relief in Montserrat and East Timor. Furthermore the ship can assist in supporting local authorities with an effective command and control post in the event of natural or other disasters.

South African modellers should note that the Lynx Mk3 as carried by HMS Liverpool is an earlier variant to the SAN/SAAF Super Lynx and many details vary between the two versions.

During the walk around where various aspects of life at sea was highlighted by the various members of the crew who were very proud of their ship and explained the various workings and maintenance of the vessel. The fire and damage control department was extremely interesting with various aspects of both fire fighting as well as damage control being explained as part of the guided tour. It is very interesting that the same pump system used to pump water for fire fighting purposes is used for the evacuation of water in the event of the ship suffering a hole.

The type 42 destroyers are due for replacement with the more modern type 45 Air Defence Destroyers.

New generation maritime By Piet van Schalkwyk - I.M.G. missiles

Umkonto Missile

The Umkhonto (Zulu for “Spear”), IR missile is a short range air defence missile, manufactured by Denel. The missile is a vertically- launched, high-velocity, infrared homing missile designed for providing all- round defence against simultaneous air attacks from The Umkhonto-IR missile deployed on the SA Navy Valour class multiple combat aircraft and frigates missiles. The target is acquired and tracked by a 3-D target acquisition radar. The missile is launched and flies to a lock- on point, using an on-board inertial navigation subsystem.

The IR seeker locks on and the missile then intercepts the target under seeker control. The surface radar track manoeuvring targets and the target's course is continuously updated to the missile during missile flight, via a tele-command link. Denel has announced upgrades studies of the missile, which is in service with the South African and Finnish Navies and is on order for the Swedish Navy and the SA Army. The company also plans to fit a radar seeker to Umkhonto to give the system the ability to shoot down aircraft and missiles in all weather conditions under the name AWSAM or All-Weather Surface-to-Air Missile. The missile is being marketed to the Swedish Navy and to the SA Army. The proposal to the Army is based around a system that can be mounted on a truck. The system will be a container type of system that will act as missile launcher and as missile container.

IDAS & Exocet

Another interesting weapon development is the firing of missiles from submarines torpedo tubes. Although this concept in the form of the SM- 39 Exocet missile is already more than 20 years old, a new version of this type of weapon is lately being marketed, with a significant difference to the SM-39. Both these types of weapons were observed at IDAS with counter air capability AAD 2008, namely the Diehl “Interactive Defence and Attack system for Submarines” (IDAS) Submarine launched Guided Missile and the MBDA Missile Systems Exocet SM-39 Submarine Launched Anti- shipping Missile. The first submerged launch of the IDAS missile was on 29 May 2008. This is a fibre-optically-guided missile, with which a submerged submarine can successfully engage enemy antisubmarine warfare The latest variant of the Exocet helicopters, small surface vessels and land targets near the coast. The IDAS system is the world's first missile which gives submarines the capability to engage air threats, and the first tube- launched missile that does not emerge in a capsule, but is fired directly from the torpedo tubes. The IDAS missile is about the same size as the Diehl IRIS-T missile.

The MBDA SM-39 is the much older system and has seen operational use already. The SM-39 Exocet is a short-range, solid propellant, single warhead, submarine-launched cruise missile developed and manufactured by France. The SM-39 is stored in a launch container along with propulsion and guidance units. The entire module is fired from standard torpedo 533 mm launch tubes. After breaking the surface, the SM-39 separates from the module at a low altitude of about 30 m. The target information is downloaded to the missile before launching. Midcourse guidance is by an inertial navigation system and a radio altimeter, while terminal guidance is provided by active radar. The SM-39 is reported to have a maximum range of 50 km. The missile was operational from 1985 onwards and was upgraded in the early 1990s. The upgraded missile has the ability to fly at a lower altitude of 2 to 3 m above the surface and is known as the MM40. LAND:

Latest variants of indigenous By Piet van Schalkwyk - I.M.G. SANDF equipment

Although the SA Army did not receive any major new equipment as part of the arms deals that were placed during the late 1990’s, the arm of service have seen some projects completed and some equipment upgrades being undertaken. One of the major projects is Project Hoefyster, the replacement for the Ratel with the Patria. A number of prototype vehicles were Badger replacement for the Ratel studied during this project and some were again displayed at AAD 2008.

The highly respected G6

The Artillery Corps had the G5 and G6-52 155 mm artillery equipment on display. These two platforms are the mainstay of the Corps and the ability of the “Gunners” and the pride in their equipment, were again publicly demonstrated, during the Artillery Open Day, held at Potchefstroom in August 2008. See link . The original G6-45 was designed around the basic gun of the G-5 and the chassis was mine-protected. The G6 has also been exported to Malaysia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The G6-52 system has an increased firing range, an increased rate of fire to 8 rounds per minute with all compatible charges, superior mobility and a reduced manpower requirement compared to the previous variant.

Also on display from the Corps, was the Bateleur 6x6 Multiple Rocket Launcher System (MRLS). The system is fitted on a SAMIL 100 vehicle and fires 40 x 127 mm rocket rounds, either singularly or in ripples of 20 rounds. The entire set of 40 rockets can be fired within 46 seconds. The truck is fitted with an armoured cabin for the 5 member crew.

Bateleur MLRS

BAE Systems Land Systems OMC again displayed their iKlwa, which is the Zulu word for the short stabbing spear, made so famous by the warriors of the Zulu nation. The vehicle is basically a Ratel with an upgraded hull and drive train. The engine is moved from the rear to the front and larger tyres are fitted. The rear of the hull has been cut down at an angle and a drop down ramp has been installed.

The iKlwa can carry 15 fully equipped troops. Troops enter and leave the vehicle via the rear ramp, the roof hatches or the door in the side of the hull. The vehicle can alternatively carry supplies in place of the troops and can be changed from one configuration to another in less than an hour using an overhead crane and a few simple tools. The MK 2 was on display at AAD 2008, with the latest proposed variant, the iKlwa Mk 3, which features the driver’s iKlwa Mk 2, showing the close resemblance to the Ratel compartment sunk into the hull. The rear of the hull is also trimmed back. The CVED, as a variant of the Rooikat was first displayed at AAD 2006 and featured again at AAD 2008. This vehicle is a Conventional Vehicle Electric Drive technology demonstrator. Although the Rooikat is a very good armoured car, it is understood that the SA Army has highlighted a need for a smaller and lighter vehicle that could be easily airlifted into areas where peace-support operations are being undertaken.

The role of such a vehicle would be to engage the

“technicals” (commercial pick- ups armed with large calibre machine guns) operated by the multitude of warring factions in Africa. The standard Rooikat armoured car can be equipped with either the 76mm or 105mm gun. The 76 mm gun variant was displayed at AAD 2008. The Rooikat was designed as a mobile

reconnaissance platform, with CVED variant of the Rooikat Armoured Car a good hitting capability for raiding operations.

In addition to the Rooikat, the Armoured Corps also had the Olifant Mk 2 on display at AAD 2008. The Olifant Mk 2 is basically the same chassis as the Mk 1B, but with a completely new designed turret. This turret can be armed with the 105 mm rifled gun or a 120 mm smoothbore gun. It also features stabilized sights for day and night operation with integral laser The Olifant Mk 2 Main Battle Tank (MBT) range finder. The tank has

composite armour installed in the turret and glacis. Ready rounds are located in the turret basket, allowing a rate of fire of 10 rounds per minute.

The SA Army also publicly displayed a radar system, which is very seldom seen outside of the close ranks of the unit that operates it. This is the locally designed and manufactured ESR 220 Kameelperd

System. The Kameelperd mobile 2-D radar system has been developed to meet a South African Army requirement for a mobile, air defence, battery fire- control post. The system is designed to provide early warning to mechanized troops in the battlefield. The radar is a highly mobile, rapidly deployable system that is capable of detecting low-level air threats from fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters so that fire control and other measures can be activated in the shortest possible time. The system is operated by a crew of 5, has a deployment time of less than 2 minutes and a detection range of 65 km.

The SA Army has taken the decision to phase out the 81 mm mortar system. This will be replaced by a 60 mm mortar lengthened tube, giving the same type of The ESR 220 Kameelperd Radar System range as previously obtained by the 81 mm mortar tube but with a better hitting capability due to the improved round.

The main advantage of this system is the fact that the logistic load is reduced, as only one type of ammunition now needs to be carried, for the long and short barrel 60 mm mortars and the infantry patrol 60 mm mortar. The system should be in commission during 2009 under Project Acrobat with around 102 systems on order. Also displayed at AAD 2008 was the M10 60mm breech loading long-range mortar (BLLRM) that will be carried by mortar-variant Badgers. The new M10 BLLRM utilises the ballistic system of the proven DLS M6 long-range mortar. The 120 mm mortar will remain in use as before as a part of the Artillery.

New Equipment Requirements By Piet van Schalkwyk - I.M.G. When observing the news from around the world, and looking at the role of defence and other security forces in Peace Support and Peace Enforcement Operations, it has become clear that the application in the old traditional primary role of defence forces, namely that of safe-guarding countries’ borders and territorial integrity has changed quite a bit in the last few years. This is also enhanced by such secondary operations as rendering assistance during natural disasters, the so-called asymmetric warfare against terrorists, etc. Looking at the percentage use of defence forces in these various secondary roles, the use and need for different equipment, compared to the previous more conventional equipment has become apparent.

Some of the modern threats currently posed against defence force and police/security force personnel, travelling in various operational areas, are that of improvised explosive devices and various other forms of homemade bombs, aimed at the vehicles they travel in. These are especially found in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and India, but have also been observed in other areas. This has lead to a requirement for these forces to travel in armoured and sometimes even mine protected vehicles, in place of the traditional soft skin vehicles that were often employed, especially by the police type of forces. Countries are currently investing in these types of vehicles and some of these sales and new vehicles were made public at AAD 2008.

An example of such a sale was the announcement by BAE Systems that they had secured a contract for an additional ten RG12 Mk4 Armoured Personnel Carriers from the Dubai Police, which already has six RG12 vehicles in service. The General Manager, Land Systems OMC, announced that there are currently more than 830 vehicles in service with various customers around the world, including the South African Police Service. The Mk4 The RG12 Mk4 Armoured Personnel Carrier vehicle is the latest version of the RG12 and features a new engine with more horsepower and torque, and revised axles with disc brakes on all wheels for improved braking performance.

A digital electrical system is designed to improve the maintainability of the RG12 through the use of a plug-in diagnostic computer. The 4x4 RG12 was originally developed as an internal security and public order vehicle, and has proven to be highly effective in a number of other applications such as command vehicle and as an armoured personnel carrier.

It carries a driver, commander and between eight and ten personnel. The welded all-steel armoured hull gives improved protection against small arms fire, firebombs and hand grenades. Other Land Systems OMC products include main battle tanks, heavy wheeled armoured vehicles, police and security vehicles, as well as mine protected vehicles such as the RG31, which is part of the US Marine Corps Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) programme.

The RG31 Mk 6E Vehicle

BAE Systems also had a model of the South African RG-32M vehicle on display. This vehicle was selected during 2008 as part of the MOKYS command and communication complex for Land Forces for the Slovak Army. The country has already ordered seven vehicles, named MKVRS, as part of the tactical communication node of the MOKYS System. A total of 442 vehicles are already in service with 10 different countries. BAE Systems also displayed the RG31 Mk 6E vehicle of which

1388 are already in service with 12 different The RG-32 Vehicle of which seven has been sold countries and another 984 vehicles are on order. to Slovakia These numbers clearly indicate the huge worldwide requirement for this type of vehicle in the modern operational areas.

Another of these types of armoured vehicles designed for Police Forces was unveiled by Mr Ivor Ichikowitz the Group Executive Chairman for the Paramount Group at AAD 2008. The vehicle is named the Maverick, adding to their current range of Marauder and Matador vehicles. Together the range is known as the NEMO Land Forces System. The initial two vehicles were Mr Ivor Ichikowitz launched as a concept in February 2007, at the IDEX in Abu Dhabi. He mentioned that

for many years South Africa has been acknowledged as being at the forefront of global Armoured and Mine Protected Vehicle technology. The Group already have orders from several customers and already have two production facilities under construction and industrialisation is well underway. Maverick is aimed at the policing, internal The Maverick Armoured Personnel Carrier security, border patrol and urban peacekeeping market.

All is however, not doom and gloom for soft skinned vehicles and they still do have a place in the modern era. The SA Army’s project, Project Vistula, was launched for new trucks to replace the SAMIL range and to serve as an operational supply support system, aimed mainly at cargo and fuel handling. However, the project was halted in October 2007, when Armscor declined to select a preferred bidder after a protracted tender and review process. At the time Armscor wrote to the bidders, MAN and Daimler, saying that it intended to "initiate a new Request for Offers, which has yet to materialise. As reported during AAD 2006, MAN Trucks was on the shortlist of companies to replace the old SAMIL series of vehicles and the company’s products were again on display at AAD 2008.

The HX 32.440 8x8 (HX77)MAN truck, with the Modular Armoured Cab

What has become clear, however, is that even though these types of vehicles are still required, they are not exempted from the threat of ballistic fragmentation and mine attacks, and most of the vehicles on display have armoured cabs and or other armoured chassis to protect the crew operating in these vehicles. In order to protect crews of MAN vehicles deployed on military operations, MAN and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann developed a modular-armour crew-protection kit. The shape of the MAN cab with its even surfaces makes an external armour kit comparatively easy to install. It also leaves the internal cab space and operational interface untouched.

It is important to recognise that if logistic vehicles are operating in an environment hostile enough to warrant such protection, the fewest and shortest journeys possible should be made, therefore the requirement should be for a high payload and high mobility vehicle. Such a vehicle should also give crews the ability to respond effectively to ambushes or hostile and armed crowds while transporting heavy payloads.

The Hornet (BAE Systems Wasp RDRV), fitted with the rear module to carry personnel

BAE Systems and the SANDF, also had a soft skin vehicle on display, namely the BAE Wasp Rapid Deployment Reconnaissance Vehicle (RDRV). This is a joint product of Armscor, South Africa and Vickers of the UK and is in service with the SANDF, where it is named “Hornet”. This is a modular vehicle with a standard front section carrying the driver, gunner and vehicle commander. The rear module can either carry personnel, a 60 mm mortar, communication equipment, or various weapons systems.

In the airborne mode, four Hornets can be carried in a C-130 transport aircraft. The personnel in the vehicle are armour protected from the front to the height of the firewall, while the complete under portion of the vehicle is protected against shrapnel grenade and anti-personnel mines. The engine, transmission and fuel tank are also protected.

Land Guided Weapons By Piet van Schalkwyk - I.M.G.

A South African company which had an anti-tank missile carrying, mine protected vehicle on display was IVEMA. The company displayed the Gila, a 4x4, mine protected vehicle, anti tank missile platform. The basic Gila launched two years ago and is already operational with two African countries. The Gila on display was fitted with a special Denel Armed Long- Range Reconnaissance Turret (ALRRT), named the Ingwe turret. The turret provides for laser beam riding missiles, stabilized fire on the move and stabilized reconnaissance in day and night while on the move. The company also displayed an ambulance The IVEMA Gila, fitted with the Denel Ingwe ALRRT version of the Gila at AAD 2008. IVEMA has now also started a section that carry out a re-manufacturing programme on existing military vehicles.

Ratel, equipped with the Ingwe anti-tank missile system

A second South African vehicle on display, equipped with anti-tank missiles, was the South African Army’s Ratel, equipped with the Ingwe missile. The Ingwe missile is an anti-armour missile, featuring laser beam-riding guidance and a tandem, hollow charge warhead with a stand-off fuse. The missile has a maximum range of 5 km. The missile can also be operated by infantry units from a tripod launcher, or from helicopter platforms. During 2005 the missile's on board software was upgraded to be able to detect the launch platform and download the latest software, all at launch time. This enables the use of a single missile across all the types of launch platforms, as mentioned above.

While the South African Army

was previously equipped with the Milan-2 anti-tank missile, it was revealed at AAD 2008 that the service now also has some units of the Milan-3ADT missile system in service. Project Kingfisher provided for the remanufacture of the Milan-2 launchers placed in storage in 1996 to an ADvanced digital Technology (ADT) standard. The Milan 3- ADT system has a fully digital firing post with an integrated thermal sight, allowing engagement of hot and cold Milan 3-ADT anti-tank missile system targets, over a range of 2 km.

The missile also has a tandem shaped charge warhead, compared to the single shaped charge warhead of the Milan- 2. South Africa acquired the second-generation semi- automatic command line-of sight (SACLOS) missiles in 1974. South Africa is also the launch customer for the digital firing post of the Milan ADT system. Firing trials were carried out at the SA Army’s Infantry School at Oudtshoorn Kornet-E anti-tank missile launcher on a high tripod mounting and all ten of the live rounds that were fired as part of the trials, recorded hits.

The Russian company Rosoboronexport also had a large range of weapons, including its mobile/portable semi automatic laser guided Kornet-E anti-tank missile on display. The Kornet-E has a range of up to 5,5 km, and can be used against tanks fitted with explosive reactive armour, lightly armoured vehicles, fortifications and low-speed low level aircraft, such as helicopters at low altitude in the low speed arena. Another missile on

Metis-M1 SACLOS anti-tank missile launcher display by the company was the wire-guided, Semi Automatic Command Line Of Sight (SACLOS), Metis-M1, also a man-portable anti-tank missile with a range of 2 km.

Another Russian company, Izhmash Concern, displayed some laser guided artillery shells of 122 mm and 152/155 mm calibre, used as anti-rank weapons. The 122 mm shells have a maximum range of 12 km while

the 155 mm shells have a range of 20 to 25 km. In both The Kitolov-2M (122 mm) laser guided cases the infantry borne laser designators have a range artillery shells of between 5 and 7 km. China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO), one of the well-known Chinese arms manufacturers had their Red Arrow 8L anti-tank launcher system on display. The launcher has an infra-red tracker for flares in the missile tail. The Red Arrow 8L is a second-generation guided missile system intended for use by infantry against tanks and other armoured targets with a range of 100 to 3,000 NORINCO Red Arrow 8L ant-tank missile launcher system m.

The use of anti-tank missiles is of course not only restricted to the infantry and vehicle mounted soldiers. These missiles are also carried by modern attack helicopters and the South African Mokopa system, developed for the Rooivalk combat helicopter was also on display at AAD 2008. Mokopa uses a semi- active laser guidance concept and has the capability to fit different warheads, such as Denel Mokopa Anti-Armour missile system developed for the fragmentation, penetration or Rooivalk helicopter ant-armour warheads. The missile has a range of up to 10 km.

In any armed conflict or internal unrest situation, peace can usually only be restored by the presence of personnel on the ground, be it defence forces or police forces. When viewing the amount of small arms and various kinds of ammunition on display at AAD 2008, the role of the man on the scene of the action is still very clear. It is also clear, that even police forces in the modern era, face far more dangerous armed opponents and those police forces now often need to be armed with automatic weapons or weapons of heavier calibre than the traditional service pistol or revolver.

Small calibre weapons By Piet van Schalkwyk - I.M.G.

The SS 77 Compact GPMG, with a standard SS77 General Purpose Machine Gun in the background

Denel Land System launched their new SS77 Compact general-purpose machinegun at AAD 2008. The original SS77 was manufactured during 1977 and has been exported in fairly large numbers to date. Due to a request from an existing customer, a compact version of the weapon has now been produced. The weapon has a shorter barrel and a telescopic stock. The compact version of the weapon is 150mm shorter and about 2 kg lighter than before. A number of rails around the barrel allow the fitting of night sights, laser rangefinders, flashlights or under barrel grenade launchers.

A high number of exhibiters were displaying small arms and ammunition of various calibres, up to and including mortar and artillery rounds. Almost every small arms exhibiter had some or other sniper rifle on display, and it was interesting to note how big the calibres of some of these weapons are today, compared to the earlier generation of rifles, equipped with telescopic sights. The modern weapons range in calibre up to 20 mm and these weapons are obviously designed to be used over much longer ranges than the earlier generation of weapons.

One such weapon was the South African Truvelo 20 sniper rifle. The weapon was unveiled during June 2008. It was the result of a two-year development programme. The massive, bolt-action rifle can fire a 20mm x 110mm explosive round out to 2,000 meters. The development came about as a result of the use of .50-caliber sniper rifles by US Forces, to destroy anti-material targets such as light-skinned vehicles since Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

The Truvelo Company claims

that their weapon is three times more accurate than the U.S. military's .50-caliber rifles currently in use in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they believe that the market for these ultra-long-range rifles is only going to grow since both the Marine Corps and the Army announced in May 2008, that both services want a new sniper rifle, capable of killing

man-sized targets between The Truvelo 20 Sniper Rifle 1,500 and 1,800 meters.

The Russian company Rosoboronexport, had their OSV-96 large calibre Sniper Rifle on display. The sniper rifle began its life during the early 1990s as the V-94 and uses a 12,7 mm calibre projectile. The accuracy of the weapon is apparently good enough for its intended work as an anti-materiel rifle or mid-range counter-sniper rifle. The weapon was apparently used in small numbers by MVD troops in Chechnya.

The OSV-96 Sniper Rifle

The company also had their VSK 9 mm sniper rifle on display. This rifle has a sighting range of up to 400 metres and can carry up to 20 rounds in the magazine. The rifle use 9 x 39 mm SP-5 or SP- 6 ammunition. The weapon was developed by the KBP Bureau which also designed the high-performance GSh- series aircraft cannons in use on the Russian MiG fighter aircraft.

Two other Russian sniper rifles on exhibition were the SVD 7,62 mm Draganov sniper

Rifle and the SVDS 7,62 The VSK 9mm Sniper Rifle Draganov Sniper Rifle with a folding stock. The SVD self- loading Draganov sniper rifle is the main weapon of snipers in the Russian Armed Forces. Special sniper rounds were developed for this rifle, but it can fire any type of 7.62 x 54mm rounds, if necessary. The SVD sniper rifle is usually equipped with the 4 x PSO- 1M2 optical sight, with an illuminated sighting mark and a screen for detecting IR sources. The sight is provided with a target range scale, as well as a range and lateral adjustment input device. For night shooting, the optical sight can be replaced with a night sight. The SVDS variant is especially designed to be used by paratroopers and also feature a shorter barrel and a new flash suppressor. When transported the total length of the SVDS rifle is reduced from 1,2 m for the SVD, to 875 mm, while its ballistic characteristics are practically the same as that of the SVD.

OTHER:

The revival of the South African By Piet van Schalkwyk - I.M.G. Defence Industry and Denel

Although the financial reports for Denel that were released earlier in 2008, still indicated an overall loss for the organization, it is clear that some of the efforts that have been put in place since 2005, is now paying off and that the fortunes of Denel are slowly turning around. During 2005 a turnaround strategy was launched, aimed at making Denel financially self-sustainable. The strategy had five main areas of focus, namely that Denel would have privileged access to state institutions such as the treasury, it would be looking at the securing of state agency support, it would be assessing the commercial viability of each business and developing a turnaround strategy or exiting the business, Denel would actively be securing equity and strategic alliances and that Denel's capability and productivity would be raised to world-class standards.

In order to achieve the above, Denel has slashed costs and restructured its operations over the last few years, selling off some units and entering into joint ventures to try and cut its losses. It has received billions of rand in state assistance as it tries to return to profitability. The acting Group CEO said that three of Denel's eight business units were now profitable and that he expected the rest to become profitable and have a positive effect on Denel's financial results within the next two to three years. There were some Denel businesses that the company believed could be "tied up" with other local players to build them into viable sustainable businesses.

When looking at the areas of interest and the products that Denel had on exhibition during AAD 2008, it became clear that Denel has made the decision not to compete with major system manufacturers, but that the companies in the group need to look at supporting equipment such as helmets, missiles, vehicles, etc.

With the handover of the Gripen to the SAAF at AAD 2008, new interest was placed on the weapons that would be used on the Gripens and Hawks, as it had been stated before that these aircraft would be armed with locally produced weapons. The aircraft on display at AAD 2008, gave some insight into which weapons could be expected to be fielded by these types in future. The Hawk Mk 120 was displayed, armed with various Mk 81 and Mk 82 bombs. The bombs had a variety of fuses, which are locally manufactured by Reutech Precision Products, previously known as Fuchs Electronics.

The four defence companies in the Reunert group have unified their electronics activities under the Reutech brand. Fuchs Electronics will now be known as Reutech Presicion Products and manufactures a world- renowned range of electronic fuses for artillery, mortar, naval and air weapons applications, as well as a full range of air weapon systems. The fuses on display, included

delay and proximity fuses, and

SAAF Hawk Mk 120 with Mk 81 bombs on display. Note the various most can be used on Pre- fuses. fragmented and/or Steel Bombs.

The Hawk has also already been seen at the yearly SAAF Fire Power Displays at the Roodewal Bombing range, firing the centreline mounted Aden 30 mm cannon. The Secapem Taxan target system has also been qualified on the South African Hawk Mk 120. The Taxan target drogue is towed behind the aircraft and used for gunnery practice.

The two Gripens on display, numbers 01 and 03 were armed with different air-to-air missiles and this gave a good indication of the current status of the missile programme for the aircraft. The Gripen in SAAF service is intended to be armed with the Denel A- Darter fifth-generation short range air-to-air missile (SRAAM). The development of the A-Darter missile is not complete, but is currently the subject of a joint programme between South Africa and Brazil. As an interim step, the SAAF has acquired a number of Diehl Iris-T missiles to use on the Gripen. This acquisition of the missiles will have defence industrial participation obligations attached to it. The name of the missile is an acronym for InfraRed Imaging System – Tail/thrust vector controlled. The Gripen can be armed with up to six short range air-to-air missiles.

Gripen with various ordnance on display. Note IRIS-T

The Iris-T missile is already in use by seven other countries and over 4000 missiles have already been ordered. The missile was developed by six countries, namely Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Spain and Sweden. South Africa and Austria were the first two countries outside of this group to order the missile. The infrared seeker, which is developed by Diehl, has improved resistance to countermeasures and provides extremely high resolution and target discrimination.

The A-Darter will be a highly agile missile and will be able to manoeuvre at high angles of incidence, with the aid of thrust vector control. The missile will also have a very good resistance to countermeasures, with a two-colour thermal imaging seeker. The A-Darter will have different launch modes, namely “Lock on after launch” and “Lock on before launch”. This could be done by different means such as the aircraft radar, the helmet mounted sighting system, or the missile seeker head itself. This missile is also intended to equip the Hawk Mk 120, once development has been completed. Denel has also previously announced the concept of a new high-performance radar- guided missile, known as the T Darter. This beyond visual range missile will serve as the main long-range weapon for the Gripen and is designed to replace the V-4 missile that was in use on the Cheetah C. Denel are proposing to use some of their existing technologies in the missile and are looking at international partners for some parts of the proposed missile. The Gripen can be armed with up to four long range air-to-air missiles.

Gripen 03 was displayed with a number of iron bombs and the Mauser BK27 27mm cannon that will equip the Gripen C aircraft only. The cannon are designed for subsonic and supersonic flight and are installed in the left hand side of the Gripen fuselage. The cannon attachments are built into the airframe and the cannon can therefore be removed and reinstalled without extra mechanical adjustments. The weapon has a rate of fire of Gripen 03 on display with Mk 82, 250kg Pre-fragmented low drag 1700 rounds per minute, bombs, fitted with various fuses without any start delay, as it is a revolver type of cannon.

As with the Hawk, the iron bombs on display, were equipped with various Reutech fuses. Although the Gripen has already been cleared to fire air-to-surface missiles, it is not foreseen at present that the SAAF will fit the aircraft with such weapons.

Denel SAAB Aerostructures (DSA) announced the extent of their Gripen contracts with SAAB at AAD 2008, which already amounted to some R500 million to date. The first contract was awarded in 2000 for the design, industrialisation and certification of NATO standard pylons for the Gripen. This contract was followed by a contract for manufacture of these pylons. Of the 300 pylons on order, 220 have already been delivered, with a new order for an additional order of 80 pylons, bringing the total orders to 380 pylons. DSA also has long-standing contracts to manufacture Main Landing Gear Units, essentially the centre fuselage airframe section, as well as rear fuselage sections for Gripens destined for the Swedish Air Force and all export versions. These contracts form part of the SAAB defence industrialisation participation programme connected to South Africa’s acquisition of the new defence equipment.

The Gripen is equipped with two pylons under each wing, a centre line pylon and one under the right hand forward fuselage. As the primary aerostructures facility operating at this level in Africa, Denel Saab Aerostructures (Pty) Ltd (DSA) designs, manufactures and assembles composite and metallic aircraft subsystem structures in cooperation with suppliers of aircraft such as Airbus, Boeing, Saab and

Agusta Westland. The company was incorporated on Gripen 04 on display, showing the six pylons fitted to the aircraft 1 February 2007 and Saab became a minority (20.0%) equity partner in August 2007.

The need for International Partners by By Piet van Schalkwyk - I.M.G. the Local Defence Industry

The previous CEO of Denel, commented in his last report that Denel's business units need international shareholder partners. He mentioned that units in the competing aerospace and defence environment could only survive and flourish if they have access to large funding for research and development, as well as technical and managerial expertise and access to international markets. In line with the above, two such mergers were announced during 2008, namely that the German munitions’ company Rheinmetall Group has bought a 51% stake in Denel Munitions and that Denel had sold 70% of its Optronics business to Carl Zeiss Optronics. Rheinmetall is a supplier of ammunition for fighting vehicles and infantry weapons as well as propellant systems for large-calibre ammunition while Denel Munitions possesses special expertise in artillery and mortar systems. Carl Zeiss Optronics designed, developed and now produce and integrate the Gripen helmet tracking system.

As mentioned previously both the Iris-T and A-Darter programmes will also involve industrial participation. The A-

Darter is being developed in a joint programme with Brazil. The Brazilians expect the A- Darter to enter service in 2015, which would be four years after the last of 26 Gripens has been delivered to the SAAF – hence South Africa’s need for an interim missile. Brazil views the programme as a launch pad for a lasting relationship with

South Africa. It is also A-Darter important as a chance to regain expertise that Brazil once possessed, but has since lost.

The Brazilian Air Force A-Darter programme project officer, Colonel Nelson Silveira previously made the following statement in this regard: “I see this as a landmark in the relationship between the two countries. We had a very strong defence industry prior to the first Gulf War (1991). We had very strong companies, developing a wide range of products. However, the sector was very heavily dependent on international markets, which, as far as Brazilian companies were concerned, collapsed following 1991. With few significant domestic orders, the sector contracted sharply, with some companies disappearing and others barely managing to survive. Expertise was lost. Development programmes were halted, or proceeded at a very slow pace. We experienced some years without most of the industry making any significant progress and this in a sector in which progress is mandatory to remain competitive. Brazil did, however, focus on the development of civilian space rockets to support its space programme. So this programme is, for us, a matter of recovering the technology that we had all but lost. Thus, although the Brazilians are actively participating in the development of the missile, for us it is more of a technology transfer programme”.

The A-Darter project is also significant for Brazil in that it is the first defence technology development programme to receive funding from outside the country’s Ministry of Defence – it is also being funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology. Development of the A-Darter will allow the Brazilian Air Force to leapfrog an entire AAM generation, going straight from the third generation to the fifth generation.

The SAAF A-Darter project director, Colonel Ian van Vuuren said that the Denel Dynamics A-Darter air-to-air missile, would give South Africa and Brazil independence in a key area of defence technology. “We find ourselves increasingly being isolated from the capabilities which lie in the North. The significance of this programme is that, in the southern hemisphere, we can cooperate in an area which is leading-edge technology, and that ultimately we can supply our air forces with an AAM capability, independent of restrictions from the leading countries in the world”.

So successful has the joint programme been so far that Brazil is now negotiating with South Africa to also jointly develop the Denel Dynamics Bateleur unmanned air vehicle project. It is not yet clear which arm or arms of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) would buy the Bateleur. The South African Air Force has a plan to acquire medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAVs, perhaps starting in 2010. Furthermore, the South African Navy is known to be interested in the Bateleur.

During 2007, Finland was selected as the partner for Project Hoefyster, the South African Army’s competition for an infantry fighting vehicle. The South African Army has placed an order for 264 BADGER 8x8 Armoured Fighting Vehicles based on the Patria Armoured Modular Vehicle design. The vehicles will serve in five different versions, namely Command,

Mortar, Missile, Infantry The BADGER 8x8 Armoured Fighting Vehicle Section and Fire Support. These vehicles will progressively replace the Ratel ICV’s operated by the SANDF.

The first batch of around 40 chassis will come from the Finnish production line, while the following ones will be produced under licence by BAE Sytems Land Systems OMC, with the prime contractor, Denel Land Systems responsible for the final integration and pre- delivery testing.

The non-military gains from some of the By Piet van Schalkwyk - I.M.G. main weapon system acquisition contracts

Both the Hawk and Gripen projects had counter trade proposals as inherent parts of the contracts. In the most recent Industrial Participation reports to Parliament, the Department of Trade and Industry confirmed that BAE Systems and Saab had achieved more than 100 percent of their joint investment target.

BAE Systems, which is the prime contractor for the Hawk and Saab have already launched over 150 new investment, manufacturing, skills development and technology transfer projects across the South African aerospace, defence and civil industries. To date more than 75 South African companies are partners in BAE Systems-Saab's projects.

These projects are categorised as Defence Industrial Participation (DIP), which involves the delivery of US$1.5 billion of new economic activity in the aerospace and defence sectors; and National Industrial Participation (NIP) which comprises US$1.2 billion of new economic benefits derived primarily from manufacturing-for-export ventures in various civil sectors. In total Saab have contracted US$8,7 billion of offsets due to the programme, of which they have already delivered US$5.3 billion to the 75 business partners. Saab is also actively looking at participation in the civil security market in South Africa. Other projects that Saab are participating in, or were discussing are a new Command and Control System for the SA Army and self protection systems for land based vehicles.

As far as the Hawk Mk 120 is concerned, the ATE software that was developed for the Hawk navigation and weapons system was viewed as the most complex and sophisticated that have been developed in South Africa to date. Several other South African companies, such as Reutech, Denel Aviation, Tellumat, SAAB Avitronics, OTB and the Test Flight and Development Centre at Bredasdorp, worked together with ATE on the Cockpit for SAAF Hawk by ATE project. As a result of this, around 200 jobs were retained in the local industry and 70 % of the programme funding was used locally in the country.

The Young Generation, Our By Fiona Hugo - I.M.G. Aerospace Personnel for Tomorrow

The Youth Programme has grown tremendously since AAD 2004, back in the days when it was held at AFB Waterkloof in Pretoria. Under the guidance of the South Africa Department of Defence and with the passion, not to mention the commitment, of

Colonel Bobby Keller it has come a long way.

As noted by the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) Show Director and Executive Director of the South African Aerospace Maritime and Defence Industries Association (AMD), Simphiwe Hamilton says that the shortage of skills in the Aerospace and Defence industries has reached crisis proportions. “The depth of the crisis is illustrated by the experience of one of our AMD members, namely BAE SYSTEMS Land systems OMC. BAE SYSTEMS has for months been searching locally for engineering and technical personnel and then in desperation hired staff from outside of South Africa to meet contractual obligations”, explains Hamilton. Globally, there is a massive shortage of qualified personnel in the Aerospace and Defence sector. This has translated into a depletion of our local skills base as pilots, engineers and technicians leave South Africa for better remuneration elsewhere.

Part of the Special Forces recruitment display

Furthermore, South African Universities and Universities of Technologies are struggling to produce enough graduates in these fields to satisfy current demand, let alone supply increased numbers of graduates to industry. For example, Michael Boer, Associate Lecturer in Aircraft Design and Performance at the University of the Witwatersrand says that on average about 100 first year students enrol for aeronautical engineering studies at Wits. However, by the end of the four year course only around 14 students graduate in this specialisation.

As the Organisers of AAD are close to their respective industries, there is a clear understanding and appreciation of this problem. “We saw the need for AAD to tangibly show its commitment to the aerospace and defence sector as well as the lesser privileged communities” says Hamilton. “We are therefore launching a new look AAD Youth Development Programme (YDP) that is focused on encouraging our learners from disadvantaged communities to excel in Science and Maths as well as promote the career options available in the Aerospace and Defence related industries”, he explains.

The main sponsor, from the USA, International Aero Engines (IAE) has been involved in the Youth Programme since 2004. They have certainly pulled out all the stops this time round. 2008 being their third AAD where they have sponsored the Youth Programme, they are very passionate about the youth in South Africa. IAE have made

a large contribution to the AAD 2008 Youth Development Programme and to the Alta du Toit School in Kuilsriver, near Cape Town. The school caters for more than 350 children who are physically and mentally disabled.

IAE is a multinational aero engine consortium whose shareholders comprise Pratt & Whitney (NYSE: UTX), Rolls-Royce (RR.L.), the Japanese Aero Engines Corporation and MTU Aero Engines. More than 1,300 V2500-powered aircraft have been delivered, not to mention the accumulated 40 million flying hours of the worldwide fleet. IAE Senior Vive President, Customers, Ian Aitken said: ‘The entire IAE team is proud and privileged to be able to provide assistance to the AAD 2008 Youth Program Team without whose support these educational and community projects would not be possible.”

IAE has for the past 25 years played an important roll in the making of “more than 5,500 engines in service or on firm order”. The V2500 powered Airbus A319s entered service with South African Airways back in 2004 and today the airline operates eleven IAE V2500 powered A319s and also has fifteen V2500 powered A320s on order.

David Lee, IAE Director Company Events and Community Relation was asked how the involvement began? “Well it came about at the 2004 AAD in Waterkloof. That was the first time we, IAE exhibited at the airshow, the engine that we produced for the A319s of SAA. It was a good opportunity to come to South Africa and that was the real reason to come to South Africa.” David Lee mentioned that it was also part of his job in respect of worldwide events to take care of Human relations, so they thought how IAE could get involved in the local schools and youth groups.

IAE investigated our market in the airshows circles and that is how they met up with Colonel Bobby Keller. Having discussed their plans for the youth IAE made their very first donation. IAE wanted their donation to be utilised in the children of today and make a lasting impact on the future of our youth. Apart from AAD, they are also involved in some of the local schools. David Lee also mentioned that South

Africa was the only country in Col Bobby keller (SANDF) & David Lee (IAE) the world that they are involved in a program for the youth.

He mentioned that it is so much easier in South Africa to get involved in the local community, purely because it is so much more visible. It is the 25th Anniversary year for IAE and they will be publishing a book for their 25th year and copies will go out to all their employees and the relevant Airlines. The book will cover aspects of the Youth Programme. As David Lee says, “I am very proud of the Youth Programme, as kids are our future.”

In his busy schedule I was privileged to be granted an interview with Colonel Bobby Keller and I learnt that, this is not Colonel Bobby Keller’s fulltime job, it is his passion! Over the years, being involved in the programme, Colonel Bobby Keller confirmed that +- 8000 children have been invited into the programme of events. “There is nothing more satisfying than at AAD, to see children come in for the first time of their lives, to go to the show, build a model, go out of here and their faces are lighted up.” During the morning 200 pupils enter the hanger and in the afternoon another 200. Over the three trade days that totals to one thousand two hundred pupils, not to mention the street children and public that pass through the hanger on the Saturday and Sunday. Our Youth Programme takes place every two years. For AAD certain children are selected from various schools, from Grade 8 to 11, to visit on the Trade days. Subjects that are a must are: Maths, Science, and Technology. Should the youth enter into the Department of Defence, Matric and the mentioned subjects are a prerequisite.

One of the focal points of the YDP has been a Science Essay Competition for Mathematics and Science learners in Grade 9, 10 and 11, sponsored by the Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS). Captain Mpho Mamashela, Chairperson of the ATNS Board, and a SAA rated senior Captain on the Airbus 340 applauded the aim behind the science competition and ATNS’s sponsorship thereof. “With the critical skills shortage facing the Aerospace and Defence Sector in South Africa the aim of this competition was to encourage young people to pursue an interest in science and mathematics and embark on scientific related careers. It highlighted the many opportunities that the world of science can offer to young people”, he says. The competition required entrants to produce an essay chosen from a selection of fifteen high technology subjects, like aerospace design, rocketry, ergonomics and robotics. Entries, many of a high standard, were received from a variety of learners most from previously disadvantaged secondary schools throughout South Africa. The finalists were selected on 1 September 2008 and a team of twenty finalists travelled to Cape Town to attend and further participate in the YDP.

A special programme of activities has been developed that will challenge, educate and entertain the young finalists during their time at the YDP. In order to encourage secondary schools to motivate their learners to participate in science based competitions, ATNS has donated three high spec. desk top computers which will be awarded to those schools attended by the first, second and third prize winners in the competition. The official prize giving for the ATNS Science Competition took place on Friday 19 September 2008.

The Department of Defense Youth Programme provides MSD ( Military Skills Development ) for all four services:

 The Airforce “Siyendiza (We are flying)  The Army “Young Lions”  The Navy “Isidogodongo” (We are sailing)  The Medical Services “Medi Teddy”

Their whole drive is to have pupils join the Defence Force straight after school. Ten thousand children a year are chosen. For the first two years these children under the programme are trained with portable skills to become e.g. Operations Medics, Pilots, Navigators or Engineers etc. After two years they can either leave or they can stay. They also have the choice of moving into the private sector.

At the AAD 2008, Trade days, four hundred children per day from various schools entered the Youth Programme hanger and were introduced to an amazing layout. Over the Saturday and Sunday the hanger was open to the public, but it was on a first come first served basis.

Simulator time

The YDP featured the following exciting activities:

 The ATNS Theatre offering documentary material, lectures and interactive workshops  Model-building, including scale aircraft and shop models to build and take home  Simulators on which youngsters can try their hand at “flying”  Virtual aviation monitors with which learners can interact  Daily career guidance information and exhibitions provided by experts in the Aerospace and Defence sector

The Medics put on a display of note. Not only were the dummies laid out but the youth could also perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. An Oryx fitted in the CASEVAC configuration was on display with two very friendly Medic ladies. To get their blood circulating on a cold raining day, the pupils were introduced to the exercise mat and push-ups Oryx in CASEVAC config with members of the Medical & Health were at the order of the day. Services of the SANDF The girls cheered the guys on and of course they had to make an impression.

Moving to the other side of the hanger, the Artillery had a simulator on display complete with targets which could be engaged. Above the shooting range all the different uniforms, worn by manikins were on display, right down to every bit of gear and defence utilities. The Navy was also in full force and had a vast amount of information available to all who expressed an interest. The virtual aviation stimulator was an Impala Mark 1 and to watch those little faces light up, I would have to say it was one of my highlights of the day.

The major event was to build a model kit by Revell. The younger pupils were given a paper model made by Revell and the older pupils were given a 1/144 plastic model with no glue requirements, no sanding down as the pre- painted model just had to be put together. Around thirty youths built models at a time. After the model building had

finished some put their craftsmanship to the test (the paper kind of course). The pupils were then able to take the built model home with them. As mentioned by Colonel Bobby Keller, “Model building is used as a vehicle to get the interest of the children into the Defence Force”. Children and parents alike have asked on many occasions where they can purchase the models. An interest in model clubs and model building is born.

The Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) Show Director and Executive Director of the South African Aerospace Maritime and Defence Industries Association (AMD) Simphiwe Hamilton says that it is hoped that this relatively small initiative will plant enough seeds of inspiration and encouragement in the minds of our youth that over time will yield an increase in the number of pilots, engineers and technicians in the critical Aerospace and Defence sector of our economy. The Aerospace and Defence sector will also progressively grow in importance in Africa and if South Africa’s capacity in this regard is not allowed to erode, South Africa will be well placed to play a developmental role on the African Continent. AIRSHOW:

Airshow AAD 2008 By Charles Hugo - I.M.G.

To the average man in the street AAD is all about the airshow. In this regard AAD2008 did not disappoint them at all. The fact that the weather, although very bad during the trade week played along helped. The poor weather did help the trade show though as visitors stayed in-doors visiting the exhibits.

Displays on the Trade Days

Embraer EMB-120 with the CAMPS-100 system

In a major change from previous AAD’s AAD2008 had a number of displays that were specific for trade visitors. First and foremost were the mobility displays of the various military vehicles. For the limited number of visitors that would be able to view the track this was perfect and especially with the very poor weather on the Thursday (rain) the capabilities of these vehicles was amply demonstrated. Seeing the awesome power and capabilities of the SANDF’s armour in the mud was impressive.

The aviation displays were from Naturelink with displays of various aircraft from their stable. In a first at a public air show the SAAB/Avitronics developed CAMPS-100 system as fitted to an Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia was shown to the public on the trade days. Seeing flares deployed from a civilian aircraft is impressive. This aircraft will be delivered to the launch customer by the end of the year.

Of course all the various aircraft that would display during the airshow days performed their validations during this period as well.

Static Displays

AFB Ysterplaat had taken a lot of effort and planning in ensuring that various aspects of the static displays would be improved for the public. A new concrete hardstand had been built nearer the public areas and this section was used to great effect for the static display of the larger SAAF Museum aircraft located at AFB Ysterplaat. Aircraft on display were the newly completed Westland Whirlwind resplendent in full original Royal Navy colours.

There were two Dakotas on display, one being the VIP C- 47TP Dak and the second being a standard C-47 Dakota with an interesting history. This is the aircraft is known as the “Coelacanth” Dakota which is being restored to her 1950’s era colours. Cape Town has a long association with coastal patrol The magnificent Shackleton from the SAAF Museum and two of the SAAF’s long time coastal patrol aircraft in the form of the magnificent Shackleton and a Piaggio P166 Albatross were on this display stand.

The friends of the SAAF Museum staff manned this area throughout the show period to assist visitors with more information. It is unfortunate that the main museum building is located a distance away from Westland Whirlwind in full original Royal Navy colours this area complicating the display. Possibly in future all the museum aircraft will be in a single location to enable the visitors to comfortably view this rich collection of post WWII SAAF aircraft.

Portable hangars

Working on aircraft in the open in Africa has always been a hardship. At AAD2008 16 Squadron had a new portable hangar system on display.

This self contained tent hangar has space to allow the servicing of any SAAF helicopter with three containerised office units complete with spares store and diesel generator setup to power the overhead lights. The floor is a modern version of that old standby, PSP and consists of interlocking plastic panels in two strengths, the thickest capable of supporting up to 30 tonnes of weight. All of this Portable hangar packs inside a number of standard containers for ease of transportation and shipping.

SAPS Fast boat

Another gem that seemed to be overlooked was a rigid hulled inflatable used by the SAPS anti-poaching unit. Capable of carrying up to 8 officers on high speed seats (well you could call those benches seats I suppose) at speeds of up to 60 knots, this large(ish) boat just looked ready to pounce on the criminals raping our sea life around the coast.

Fast boat from the anti-poaching unit

Public days

Following a week of generally poor weather, the weather forecasters had once again shown their prowess and the Saturday dawned with bright blue skies and clear although the spring temperatures were decidedly still rather chilly.

All the effort that the organisers had put in on the Friday in laying down straw and other measures to dry up the public area had worked reasonably well and all was set for what was one of the most memorable AAD airshows for some years. The airshow followed the tried and tested opening formula of a parade of the emergency personnel led by an impressive Rosenbauer

fire truck from ACSA. This was Rosenbauer fire fighting vehicle from ACSA followed by a parachute jump by a team from the North West Province and the SAAF’s Golden Eagles. SAAF participation

As in previous years the SAAF had a large contingent on display. As part of the SANDF revamp programme announced in September 1999 it was only fitting that AAD 2008 showcased all these new aircraft to the public. Thus we had the Gripen, Hawk and Super Lynx all being flown for the public by SAAF personnel. The Hawk LIFT in national colours flown by Ivan Pentz was at hand and the first public display at an airshow of Hawk Mk 120 LIFT in SA National Flag colours the SAAF Super Lynx helicopter was a treat.

Helicopter displays

In keeping with what has now almost become the accepted norm during 2008 many of the helicopter displays were flown using a two ship formation. The twin-ship Super Lynx can be impressive when viewed from certain angles. The only helicopter type not flying in multiples was the Rooivalk although there was a duo display of Rooivalk and the Mil SuperHind helicopter. On the A109 duo display Sunday another pyrotechnic

display was performed by an Augusta A109LUH from TFDC.

At various airshows throughout 2008, when possible the SAAF helicopter squadrons performed mass flypasts as part of the displays. At AAD 2008 all the helicopters that partook in the mini-war formed up into two formations which saw a total of 10 in one formation and 5 in the second A109 chaff & flares fly past before landing back at what had been dubbed "SAAF City."

Silver Falcons

Silver Falcons in formation with the National carrier

Debuting their brand new dedicated colours the expanded 5-ship team the Silver Falcons demonstrated fully why they are so revered by all. The extremely smart dark blue scheme with a stylised Falcon on the wing and feathers under the wings is very distinctive. The Falcons have not had a dedicated colour scheme for their display aircraft ever since the retirement of the Impala Mk1s they flew for many years.

AAD 2008 was both a sad and joyous occasion for the Silver Falcon team led by Major Scott Ternett. SF number 3, Alex MacPhail flew his last sortie with the SF’s on the Sunday morning. He was replaced by Lt. Buti Tsebe, who has been with the Silver Falcons for some time as their Ground Liaison Officer (SF number 5 in the 4-ship days) in the number 3 position.

Following on from the 2007 Mafikeng airshow the Silver Falcons and SAA once again performed a formation display of their aircraft, except this time round a rather larger Airbus in the form of an A340-600 was used. The formation flypast of a SAA Airbus 340-600 (there were two different aircraft used on the two days due to operational use) with four of the Silver Falcons in formation, especially with the backdrop of Table Mountain on their approach run was impressive. This was then highlighted by a formation break from the Silver Falcons before the Airbus performed a solo display.

Large formation display by the SAAF Caravans, KingAirs and lone PC12

Caravan, KingAir & PC12 formation

AAD 2008 saw a number of large SAAF formations. The first was flown by 41 Squadron in their Cessna Caravans. The Squadron is under the leadership of the acting OC, Major Ignette Bedford who has the honour of being the first SAAF female OC of an operational squadron. Huge efforts on the part of the ground crew saw a total of 8 Caravan, 2 KingAirs as well as the PC12 perform a flypast and formation break. MiniWar

Mini War

The crowds were treated to a mini-war demonstration when a reconnaissance helicopter was “shot down” by irregular forces which saw a re-action team respond to the scenario.

This force was led by members from 44 Parachute Brigade with their T10 type square parachutes to form a path finding free fall team from altitude to provide advance reconnaissance for the main force. An Oryx helicopter arrived with members from 500 Sqdn SAAF who abseiled from the Oryx to secure the downed pilots. The rapid deployment force comprised of members from 1 Parachute Battalion and 44 Parachute Regiment and deployed by a SAAF Hercules and then re-supplied by a SAAF Casa 212 from the DOD Air Supply Unit.

And then all hell broke loose with the airborne cavalry arriving, helicopters buzzing around, troops being offloaded, Rooivalk providing support cover fire and mortar teams lending long range support fire and finally heavy armour providing smoke cover during the withdrawal of all troops. It is a pity that all the rain during the week caused a mud bath in the infield probably preventing the action being closer to the public.

Casa 212 re-supply

International Military participation

In keeping with previous year’s there were a number of international aircraft and pilots attending AAD2008. The USAF had deployed a pair of C-130 Hercules transport aircraft that had been engaged on exercises with various Southern African Air Forces during their deployment to South Africa. They performed a demonstration of a supply drop mission.

There was also a solo LC130 from the National Science Foundation (ok not military) on static display. I, for one, would never of expected to see this aircraft in South Africa as she is more well known for operating in colder climates, although when arriving in Cape Town the weather was so poor that possibly those huge skids fitted to this aircraft were more suited to the muddy terrain at the airfield. LC130 from the National Science Foundation Zimbabwe once again attended this event with two K-8 trainers which were used to perform a solo aerobatic display routine.

Hidden away from the public view was a CASA 212 which supported the K-8s.

Aerobatic displays

In addition to the SAAF displays there were a number of civilian aerobatic displays.

NorthWest Province

The Northwest Province have for some years been responsible for an excellent airshow hosted at Mafikeng. They have adopted and sponsor a number of aviation display teams and as part of the promotion of the 2008 Mafikeng airshow a number of teams from the NorthWest Province were present at AAD2008. First up were the NorthWest Parachute team who partook in all the mass parachute display jumps alongside the SAAF’s Golden Eagles.

NorthWest Eagles

Displaying a new high energy and dynamic routine was the duo of Nigel Hopkins and Larry Beamish in their Extra 300’s. Whilst not flying much formation display during the routine the crowd was kept busy as first one and then the other aircraft would be in the display area. The finale of the team consisted of the two aircraft performing a dissimilar speed flypast which has both aircraft flying past the crowd at two different speeds in such a manner that both arrive simultaneously in front of the crowd. This requires a large amount of skill and coordination from the two Extra 300 from the NorthWest Eagles pilots to carry out the required synchronisation of the flypast.

Oxygen required?

Most air show aficionados’ know Zolten Verez as a low level

display specialist. His thrilling sideslip display performed at Mafeking air show 2007 was a talking point for some time. At AAD2008 in the interests of displaying to crowd and safety his display was at a higher altitude prompting a tongue in cheek request for oxygen. Nevertheless his display of his aircraft handling skills was very impressive and due to the

slightly higher altitude all the Zoltan Verez airshow attendees could see his display.

Harvards What would a South African airshow be like without the sound of that old schoolmaster of the sky? Glenn Warden with the SAAF Museum’s as well as Arnie Meneghelli and Scully Levin with the Academy Brushware Castrol Flying Lions team ensured that memories were rekindled to all old SAAF pilots. Scully also had his new Slick 360 which has replaced the Zlin he used to fly in the Control Intsruments colours. He performed a duo display with a VANS RV-8.

Fast Jets

Hawker Hunter from ThunderCity

Thundercity had a three ship formation display of a Hawker Hunter, EE Lightning and Blackburn Buccaneer. After arriving in formation they split to perform solo displays. Many an international visitor had attended the event purely to see these aircraft, especially the EE Lightning in action and they were not to be disappointed as a finale to the Saturday two-ship Lightning display, the team executed a supersonic run over the base to the absolute thrill and enjoyment of the crowd. The shock wave was heard and felt for miles around the base.

The inimitable Pierre Gouws, along with ZU-TEE, an L-39 performed his immaculate display in this pretty jet. His departure on Sunday consisted of a formation take-off and flypast in conjunction with the North West Province Extra 300 duo. Unfortunately due to a bird strike which caused serious damage to the wing upon landing at Cape Town International following her validation flight for the airshow the SAAF Museum’s Mirage ZU-TEE with the NorthWest Eagles IIICZ number 800 could not display.

SAPS AirWing

High drama

Showcasing preparations for the Soccer World Cup in 2010 was a little story of a bus full of soccer supporters (why they were Manchester City supporters is a bit weird) being ambushed and hi-jacked. Once the bus was stopped by normal police force members who came under fire the SAPS Airwing with SAPS Special Task Force members were called in to support.

Sniper high ground The AS350 was fitted with a new external TILO bench for the

Special Task Force to sit on facing outwards. This makes their job far easier in comparison to the previous system of standing on the skids with belts securing them to the airframe. Upon deploying the Special Task Force the helicopter hovers in close proximity to the event with a specialist sniper covering the ground forces from the air.

The hi-jacked bus

Best display of the show?

This is arguably a toss up between the smooth polished displays by the various heavy jets airliners.

These consisted of the Saudi Kingdom Boeing 747 by Duncan Gillespie. His smooth and graceful handling of this large aircraft was impressive and set a standard for the show. This must be largest biz jet in the world and her immaculate cream and green colours stood out against the blue skies. But the one that wowed most visitors, and flabbergasted many an experienced aviation reporter was the duo display of two SAA Boeing 737 freighters.

Perhaps the world's largest biz-jet?

Boeing 737 freighters from SAA

One of these, a 737-300 had been on static display throughout the event and when it took off from AFB Ysterplaat, piloted by Pierre Gouws to join up with the 737-200 flown by Scully Levin with his daughter Sally Bates in the co-pilot seat little did we know that we would be treated to a formation display that will be a long time in beating. It was incredible to view these two large transport aircraft being flown so close to each other and then the fighter style break followed by the streaming touch and go and spiral climb to altitude.

AAD 2008 was a huge success, the organisers of AAD 2008 had obviously taken lessons from AAD2006 and addressed many (if not all) the issues that had arisen then. Food stalls and amenities were a plenty and with a park and ride system implemented from Ratanga Junction along with ticket pre-sales saw a far more efficient event for the visitors on the Saturday alone. A show of this size requires much organisation and logistical support and the members of AFB Ysterplaat, the show and event organisers as well as all the parties who are seldom, if ever seen must be congratulated on the superb and safely run event.

All photos: C. Hugo, F. Hugo, P. van Schalkwyk, E. Kotze’, J. van Zyl & H. Burger. Additional photos: MDBA, Diehl, Boeing, BAe Systems, ATE & KPB. Photo manipulation: A. Dyason.

Gallery - Opens in New Window.