Recently established Denel Integrated Systems and Management (Denel ISM) has formed an alliance with GEW Technologies, a South African subsidiary of Airbus Defence and Space, part of Europe’s Airbus group. The alliance is intended to pursue future electronic warfare (EW) programmes.

Denel ISM is part of the State-owned Denel defence industrial group. It was created (late last year) to serve as a partner in the defence and security industries in the field of complex systems – their design, integration, management and through-life support. GEW Technologies was previously known as Grintek Ewation, originally set up in 1968. Its main shareholders are Airbus and local enterprise Kunene Finance Company.

“We are combining the experience, reputation and resources of Denel with the specialist technology and expertise offered by GEW Technologies to create an alliance that will best serve the strategic interests of South Africa,” stated Denel Group CEO Riaz Saloojee. “We are looking forward to work [sic] with Denel in an alliance that heralds a new era in electronic warfare programmes in South Africa,” said GEW Technologies CEO Carel van der Merwe.

The 2014 Defence Review identified EW as a “key technology domain” in which the country needed to maintain a “sovereign capability” vested in local companies. EW has become a core feature of modern defence systems. The alliance, the implementation of which will be managed by Denel ISM, will strengthen the country’s EW capabilities. Denel ISM will also lead the activities that will form the heart of the alliance.

“Electronic warfare will be a primary future area of focus for the SANDF [South African National Defence Force] to rapidly expand its current capabilities and implement counter-measures to combat potential threats to the security of the country,” noted Denel ISM CEO Ismail Dockrat. “This partnership between Denel ISM and GEW Technologies will play a leadership role to coordinate different initiatives in the field, advise decision-makers on the acquisition of the most appropriate systems, ensure that the end-users are adequately trained and provide ongoing support, maintenance and upgrading of the systems.”