South African missiles and unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) company Denel Dynamics reports interest by the Department of Defence (DoD) in its new products and programmes. The DoD recognises that, to keep missile and UAV technology capabilties within the country, there must be continual technological development.

On the programme side, development of the A-Darter infrared homing air-to-air missile (a joint project with Brazil) is coming to an end, and the focus will soon move to industrialisation and production. “What will replace it?” Denel Dynamics CEO Jan Wessels queries rhetorically. As this missile enters production, the design and engineering teams will need new work to keep them challenged and at the leading edge of their trade. “I believe the DoD will contribute to the funding of a follow-up development missile programme, but its exact nature and funding model are still under discussion.”

The DoD is also interested in the company’s latest UAV, the Seeker 400. Initially funded by the Denel group as an internal investment, it is now being fully developed on the basis of an export order for the type from a customer for Denel’s earlier UAV systems. Denel Dynamics describes the Seeker 400 as a “typical entry-level” long-endurance UAV. It will be able to stay in the air for 16 hours and simultaneously operate two payloads. Initially, it will have a range of 250 km, because it will use only line-of-sight communications, but it could be upgraded to use satellite communications, which would allow it to operate at much greater ranges. The Seeker 400 is expected to make its first flight early this year and its flight test programme will run for most of 2012. Production should start by the end of the year.

The company plans, in due course, to add weapons to the Seeker 400. The prototype was displayed at the company’s 2011 Show and Tell briefing in Centurion, with a Mokopa antitank missile (also a Denel Dynamics product) under each wing. A number of countries have already expressed interest in an armed version of the UAV.

Because of its size and capabilities, the Seeker 400 would find itself flying significantly higher and further than previous Denel UAV systems, and in airspace containing civil aircraft. “There is a joint civilian and military work group in South Africa to define the standards for the safe use of UAVs like the Seeker 400 in our airspace,” reports Wessels. “This is an important development.”

A proposal to split Denel Dynamics into specialist missile and UAV companies has been abandoned, because both businesses make use of a common engineering and technology backbone. This common backbone creates the opportunity for the company to acquire or develop other related businesses as well.

“Denel Dynamics’ capabilities are unique for a country the size and with the wealth of South Africa,” he highlights. “But a lot of our top people are now in their 50s. So we’re making a huge effort to rejuvenate our work force. We’re making a huge effort to bring in young engineers. But we are limited in what we can do by the state of the national education system regarding mathematics and science results – hence, our additional skills investments in schools in our region.”

The company has been developing young talent for some years, but has been frustrated by having a lot of its young engineers poached by other companies. “But now we’re really succeeding in retaining our young engineers and getting them enthusiastic about our business,” says Wessels. “Our engineers do real design and development engineering of leading-edge systems. They get their hands dirty. As young engineers, they don’t just sit behind desks but have the opportunity to participate internationally.”

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