Report: AAD 2008 - Wildaviation

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

incorporated a greater military

influence.

Hawk & Gripen at DEXSA 1998

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

September 2008

By Piet van Schalkwyk -

I.M.G.

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

Defence Delegations.

Delegations from 20 other

African countries were

expected.

The arrival of the Minister of Defence and the Chief of the South

African Air Force

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.

The Emblem of AAD 2008, unveiled by the Minister of Defence

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

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

Advanced Light Fighter Fleet: The rise of a “powerful

beast” in the South African skies

By Piet van

Schalkwyk -

I.M.G.

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

From Greek mythology - the Gryphon

is a powerful beast

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

Commanding, 2 Squadron and Lt Col Musa Mbhokota

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.

Commissioning Phase Ceremonial Certificate

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

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

identity

By Ettienne Kotze' -

I.M.G.

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

Unveiled at a special ceremony

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

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

New no 3 - Maj Alex MacPhail welcoming Lt Buti Tsebe

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

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

display in the new colours.

Book on the new colour scheme

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

rosy

By Hein Burger -

I.M.G.

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

aircraft in the civilian role.

UAV Tracking Overview

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.

ZEISS Leo Turret with filters

removed

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

make an impact on the crime rate, but at least it will form a

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.

CPUT Guardian

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

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

near infra-red spectrum, as

well as thermal imaging.

CSIR Indiza Concept

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

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.

Cyberflight E-Swift Eye

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

EADS Baracuda UAV Demonstrator

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

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

provide the IR target, and an

optional radar amplifier

provides radar tracking.

EADS DO-DT 45

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.

ZS-PVX Boeing 727-200X

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

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

Ultra high tech cockpit

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

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

crew members and twelve

passengers. The Caravan is

not pressurised, so operates at

a maximum altitude of

12,000ft when carrying

passengers.

N208GH C208B Grand Caravan

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

storage facility and typically

cruises at 418 knots and has a

range of 1,613 nautical miles.

N407CJ Cessna 525A Citation CJ2+

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

ZS-BCI TBM-850

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-

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

ZS-DDM Raytheon 390 Premier I

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.

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.

ZS-SDU BAe HS-125-700A

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

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

Hawker 900XP N951XP

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

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

540 Lycoming engine and all

controls are mechanical.

The instrument fit includes a

large GPS moving map for

easy navigation.

ZS-PMV GA8 Airvan

Embraer Phenom

300

By Ettienne Kotze' - I.M.G.

Phenom 300 in mock up form

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,

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.

EC 130

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

spread between

ZS-RBS, AS350 B3 operated by Silver Cross

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

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

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

ZS-RZA, EC-130 B4 operated by Western Cape Metro Emergency Services

The venerable BK 117

Interior configuration for the Emergency Medical Response role

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

first AS350 B to B2 status

conversion done in ESAL, for

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

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

The venerable BK 117

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 .

Agusta-Westland Super Lynx Mk 64, 193, in the company of

Westland Wasp, 93

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

Museum’s 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

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.

Agusta Grand, ZS-HMV

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.

Lynx - Note GPMG

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

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

missiles

By Piet van Schalkwyk -

I.M.G.

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

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.

frigates

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

AAD 2008, namely the Diehl

“Interactive Defence and

Attack system for Submarines”

(IDAS) Submarine launched

IDAS with counter air capability

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

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 latest variant of the Exocet

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

SANDF equipment

By Piet van

Schalkwyk - I.M.G.

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

studied during this project and

some were again displayed at

AAD 2008.

Badger replacement for the Ratel

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

Bateleur MLRS

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.

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

compartment sunk into the

hull. The rear of the hull is also

trimmed back.

iKlwa Mk 2, showing the close resemblance to the Ratel

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.

CVED variant of the Rooikat Armoured Car

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

a good hitting capability for

raiding operations.

The Olifant Mk 2 Main Battle Tank (MBT)

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

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

range as previously obtained by the 81 mm mortar

tube but with a better hitting capability due to the

improved round.

The ESR 220 Kameelperd Radar System

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.

The RG12 Mk4 Armoured Personnel Carrier

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

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.

The RG31 Mk 6E Vehicle

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.

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

countries and another 984 vehicles are on order.

The RG-32 Vehicle of which seven has been sold

to Slovakia

These numbers clearly indicate the huge worldwide requirement for this type of vehicle

in the modern operational areas.

Mr Ivor Ichikowitz

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

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

security, border patrol and

urban peacekeeping market.

The Maverick Armoured Personnel Carrier

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

version of the Gila at AAD

2008. IVEMA has now also

The IVEMA Gila, fitted with the Denel Ingwe ALRRT

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

Milan 3-ADT anti-tank missile system

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

targets, over a range of 2 km.

Kornet-E anti-tank missile launcher on a high tripod mounting

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

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

Metis-M1 SACLOS anti-tank missile launcher

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

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.

The Kitolov-2M (122 mm) laser guided

artillery shells

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

cases the infantry borne laser designators have a range

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

m.

NORINCO Red Arrow 8L ant-tank missile launcher system

Denel Mokopa Anti-Armour missile system developed for the

Rooivalk helicopter

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

fragmentation, penetration or

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 20 Sniper Rifle

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

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

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.

The VSK 9mm Sniper Rifle

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

Defence Industry and Denel

By Piet van Schalkwyk

- I.M.G.

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.

SAAF Hawk Mk 120 with Mk 81 bombs on display. Note the various

fuses.

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

most can be used on Pre-

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

1700 rounds per minute,

without any start delay, as it

is a revolver type of cannon.

Gripen 03 on display with Mk 82, 250kg Pre-fragmented low drag

bombs, fitted with various fuses

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

1 February 2007 and Saab

became a minority (20.0%)

equity partner in August 2007.

Gripen 04 on display, showing the six pylons fitted to the aircraft

The need for International Partners by

the Local Defence Industry

By Piet van

Schalkwyk - I.M.G.

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.

A-Darter

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

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

Section and Fire Support.

The BADGER 8x8 Armoured Fighting Vehicle

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

main weapon system acquisition contracts

By Piet van

Schalkwyk - I.M.G.

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

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.

Cockpit for SAAF Hawk by ATE

The Young Generation, Our

Aerospace Personnel for

Tomorrow

By Fiona Hugo - I.M.G.

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.

Col Bobby keller (SANDF) & David Lee (IAE)

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

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.

Simulator time

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.

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

were at the order of the day.

The girls cheered the guys on

and of course they had to

make an impression.

Oryx in CASEVAC config with members of the Medical & Health

Services of the SANDF

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.

The magnificent Shackleton from the SAAF Museum

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

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

this area complicating the

Westland Whirlwind in full original Royal Navy colours

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

packs inside a number of

standard containers for ease of

transportation and shipping.

Portable hangar

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

Fast boat from the anti-poaching unit

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.

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.

Rosenbauer fire fighting vehicle from ACSA

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

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

the SAAF Super Lynx

helicopter was a treat.

Hawk Mk 120 LIFT in SA National Flag colours

Helicopter displays

A109 duo display

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

Sunday another pyrotechnic

display was performed by an

A109 chaff & flares

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

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

LC130 from the National Science Foundation

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.

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

pilots to carry out the required

synchronisation of the flypast.

Extra 300 from the NorthWest Eagles

Oxygen required?

Zoltan Verez

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

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

IIICZ number 800 could not

display.

ZU-TEE with the NorthWest Eagles

SAPS AirWing

High drama

Showcasing preparations for

Sniper high ground

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.

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

Perhaps the world's largest biz-jet?

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.

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.

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