In the 70 years since the South African Air Force (SAAF) first flew a jet fighter, the country has gone from importing complete aircraft with no technology transfer, to developing a highly sophisticated and capable local industry capable of adapting advanced aircraft to local conditions and designing and producing complex systems and subsystems and advanced weapons for them. This was highlighted on Thursday at the International Aerospace Symposium of South Africa (IASSA) by Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) contract research and development (R&D) manager Major-General Des Barker SAAF (retired).

The first jet fighter flown by the SAAF was a British Gloster Meteor F.3, which arrived in the country in 1946. A single aircraft, it was effectively loaned to the SAAF, which flew it until 1949. However, the country chose to buy the simpler and cheaper De Havilland Vampire jet fighter-bomber, also a British design, the first of which was delivered in 1950. Both these types had straight wings.

In 1953, in Korea, the SAAF's 2 Squadron, serving as South Africa's contribution to the United Nations forces fighting in the Korean War, was issued (by the Americans) with swept-wing F-86 Sabres. The Sabre and its arch-enemy, Russia's Mikoyan-Gurevitch MiG-15, were the most advanced day fighters in the world at that time. This resulted in South African subsequently buying Sabres for the SAAF, although these were examples built by Canadian company Canadair, under licence.

None of these acquisitions saw any meaningful technology transfer to South Africa, although there was significant skills transfer in terms of pilot training and maintenance expertise. But in 1962, South Africa started acquiring delta-wing, supersonic, Dassault Mirage III-family fighters, fighter-bombers, reconnaissance and operational conversion aircraft from France. With an increasing threat of international sanctions against South Africa because of the then government's apartheid policies, this programme saw the start of technology transfer, the commencement of local R&D and the development of a local industry, initially focused on short-range infrared homing air-to-air missiles (AAMs) to fit to the new fighters. (The local industry was further boosted by the local, licence-built, production of the Italian Aermacchi MB326 jet trainer, known in South Africa as the Atlas Impala.)

In 1974 the swept-wing Dassault Mirage F1CZ was acquired, and there was a plan to locally produce the aircraft in South Africa (an agreement was actually signed with Dassault in this regard), but that did not happen. This was followed by the ground-attack F1AZ version, developed to meet South African requirements. South African engineers were able to significantly increase the F1AZ's bomb load and integrated South African missiles with it. Subsequently, South Africa developed a totally new avionics suite for the Mirage F1. (Later, in the 1990s, South African industry, assisted by Russian engineers, successfully integrated the Klimov RD33 engine into the F1 airframe, something the French had thought would be impossible.)

By this time South African scientists, engineers and technologists, working in research institutions like the CSIR and in industry, had developed the expertise and infrastructure to undertake a radical upgrading -- in many respects a rebuild -- of the Mirage III-family jets into the Denel Cheetah (which is still in service with the Ecuadorian Air Force). The initial version, the two-seat Cheetah D, was unveiled in 1986 and the ultimate version, the Cheetah C, in 1992. The Cheetah programme saw the development of a "whole new generation of ergonomics and avionics," highlighted Barker. "We [also] had to do a lot of work [with regard to aerodynamics]." The major aerodynamic improvements were the fitting of fixed canards, saw-toothed leading edges to the wings, and wing fences.

The Cheetah was also fitted with locally-developed weapons and systems, including rocket-boosted bombs, which had a range of 13 km to 14 km, the V4 beyond-visual-range AAMs (at that time one of the most advanced such missiles in the world) and a reconnaissance pod. Denel also developed a conical camber wing for the Cheetah, which reduced its minimum air speed to 80 knots (indicated air speed).

Largely forgotten today, in parallel with the Cheetah, the country was pursuing Project Carver, a programme to totally develop an advanced fighter locally. Carver was cancelled in 1991, due to the disappearance of external threats, peace and reform talks within the country (leading to full democracy in 1994) and its high costs.

In SAAF service the Cheetah has been replaced by the Saab Gripen, from Sweden. Local industry built major components of the Gripen C and D versions obtained by South Africa, and major South African systems have been integrated into them as have complex local weapons systems, particularly missiles and guided bombs. The integration of new local weapons (such as the Denel Dynamics A-Darter missile) continues.

IASSA is being held at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria.