Africa Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Jeff Head said:

Nice vessels, but more of a frigate IMHO. They look like scaled back Type 054A frigates to me.

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Amid Rooivalk restart talks, Denel eyes new platform
By: STEPHEN TRIMBLEJOHANNESBURG Source: Flightglobal.com 6 hours ago
An ongoing discussion about restarting Rooivalk production includes an option to design a new platform based on technology developed for South Africa’s indigenous attack helicopter, says Denel Group chief executive Riaz Saloojee.

Last March, South African defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula publicly expressed interest in restarting a Rooivalk production line that has gone dormant since 2007 after delivering only 12 aircraft, but offered no details on timing or funding.

Those discussions between the Ministry of Defence and Denel Group are ongoing, Saloojee says. The talks have also broadened to consider additional options, including development of a new aircraft.

Asked if Denel would restart production of the Block 1F standard of the Rooivalk that entered service in 2011, Saloojee instead described the ongoing talks as taking a broader view.

“We’re not sure if it could be a new platform completely based on the same technology,” Saloojee says. “We don’t know. But definitely we are discussing a roadmap going forward.”

Saloojee declined to define a minimum number of orders that would be required to justify relaunching Rooivalk production or starting a new development programme.

“We are in analysis phase at the moment. We are looking at the feasibility not only from a manufacturing perspective but also a market perspective – what is the investment that is going to be required over what period. So all of those decisions need to be considered before a decision is taken,” he says.

The Rooivalk was launched in 1984 by a predecessor company of Denel called Atlas Aircraft Corporation during the apartheid era, when sanctions limited the country’s access to weapons systems. It leaned heavily on the engine and dynamic components designed for South Africa’s Oryx helicopter, which includes elements of the Puma and Super Puma aircraft.

The Rooivalk programme, however, was delayed as South Africa shifted suddenly into the post-apartheid era 10 years later. The aircraft finally entered service in 2011 with weapon system and gearbox upgrades developed to meet the Block 1F standard.

The aircraft was deployed in a combat situation for the first time in 2013. A South African unit assigned to a United Nations peacekeeping force deployed the Rooivalk against artillery positions of the March 23 Movement, a rebel army in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that had shelled civilians.

“We’re saying we’ve got this technology, we’ve got this platform, surely,” says Saloojee. “There must be a roadmap going forward in order to secure the technology and the future capabilities that we plan.”

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Algeria could miss out on C-17, Boeing cautions
By: STEPHEN TRIMBLEJOHANNESBURG Source: Flightglobal.com 7 hours ago
Algeria’s “disciplined” acquisition process for a new airlifter threatens to cut the C-17 out of the competition because of a lack of availability, says a top Boeing executive.

Algeria is considering the C-17, the Airbus A400M and the upgraded Ilyushin Il-76MD90 for a possible order of between four and six aircraft. Boeing performed flight demonstrations of the C-17 in the country in 2013, expecting a decision to be made in 2014.

Boeing, however, is shutting down C-17 production in June 2015, leaving only 10 unsold “white tails” available from which Algeria could make a purchase.

“I’m hoping Algeria can get through their process. I would like to have Algeria as a C-17 customer. I’m just concerned that their process will not allow them to move quick enough,” says Paul Oliver, Boeing’s vice-president for business development in the Middle East and Africa, speaking at the Africa Aerospace and Defence show.

Several other countries are lining up to claim the white tails, although no deals have been signed yet.

“We’re seeing a lot of our existing customers who now realise the line is going away, so they’re coming in and buying them up,” Oliver says.

In July, Boeing Defense, Space & Security chief executive Chris Chadwick said he expected to see deals close within the next six months.

Oliver says he “thinks” new orders will be placed for the white-tail C-17s soon.

“We’ve got aircraft available, but that number… [is] decreasing rapidly,” he says.

Elsewhere on the continent, Boeing’s sales activity is slow. Delivery of 10 AH-64D Apache helicopters to Egypt remains on hold, Oliver says, despite a public commitment by the Obama administration last April to release the aircraft.

Boeing has briefed several countries in Africa on the AH-6I scout helicopter, but so far has not generated any sales interest, he says.

A push to sell unmanned air systems in the region suffered a slight blow when Boeing withdrew plans to display and operate an Insitu ScanEagle at the show, Oliver says.

“We were trying to have it flying for the show, but it just didn’t work out,” Oliver says. “There are a limited number of demonstration aircraft. They were actually tied up for customer demonstrations.”

“We were trying to have it flying for the show, but it just didn’t work out,” Oliver says. “There are a limited number of demonstration aircraft. They were actually tied up for customer demonstrations.”

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Denel readies A-Darter for Gripen NG qualification
By: STEPHEN TRIMBLEJOHANNESBURG Source: Flightglobal.com 2 hours ago
Denel Dynamics plans to start pre-qualification flight testing in November of the A-Darter air-to-air missile on the Saab Gripen NG, in anticipation of orders from the Brazilian air force, a company spokeswoman says.

After nearly 20 years of development, Denel has fully cleared the flight envelope of the infrared-guided, short-range missile on the Gripen C/D fleet, which is operated by the South African Air Force.

Brazil’s decision to order the Gripen as a Dassault Mirage III replacement last December opened a new opportunity for the A-Darter programme. The nation had become involved in A-Darter development for integration with its modernised Northrop F-5BRs, but had dropped the missile in favour of the Israel Aerospace Industries Python.

Brazil has not yet announced plans to operate the A-Darter on the Gripen NG, but Denel is moving forward on integration testing using a loaded Swedish air force aircraft.

Meanwhile, Denel continues to work with engineers of Brazilian missile developer Mectron.

“One of the next phases will be industrialisation of the A-Darter in Brazil,” the spokeswoman says.

Denel is also still awaiting a contract from the South African Air Force to begin delivering operational missiles for its Gripen fleet. Securing the domestic order will allow the company to begin marketing the A-Darter missile to other customers. The company has also launched early studies for a mid-life update programme for the weapon.

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The first of two China-built offshore patrol vessels ordered by Nigerian Navy has completed its sea tests and is ready to be delivered to Nigeria's navy.The vessel has a displacement of 1,800 tons and can sail as fast as 21 knots for up to 20 days.A special ship-borne spilled oil recovery device could quickly respond to any oil spill emergency.


The vessel has taken a variety of rigorous tests including sharp turns with stability at high speed.The second OPV vessel is expected to be partially built in Nigeria in an attempt to further enhance the country's shipbuilding capability.

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FORBIN said:

Armament and sensors

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