Many of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) countries have embarked on military modernisation programmes, making it one of the fastest-growing regions in terms of defence spending in the world, State-owned Denel said on Monday, adding that South East Asia was one of its primary target markets.

The local manufacturer would, therefore, expand its marketing efforts in the region with a strong presence at the Defence & Security Exhibition, in Thailand, from November 5 to 8.

The exhibition would bring together more than 400 defence manufacturers from 20 countries and would feature the latest products and technology across a range of military and security equipment.

“At the exhibition, Denel wants to build on the strong diplomatic and trade ties between South Africa and Asean countries. Both China and India are part of the Brics group of nations, which also includes Brazil and Russia, while South Africa also has strong bilateral relations with countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Korea and Indonesia,” Denel CEO Riaz Saloojee said.

He added that the local manufacturer was using opportunities provided by international defence exhibitions to highlight the high-tech capabilities of the South African industry.

“Denel is an important national asset that all South Africans can be proud of. We are actively marketing our products and systems [so that] we can earn valuable foreign exchange and create more economic opportunities within South Africa,” he said.

Denel plans to display or demonstrate its GA-1 20 mm x 80 mm, multipurpose automatic cannon and its Casspir mine-protected vehicle, as well as Denel Dynamics’ Umkhonto surface-to-air missile, with an extended range, at the exhibition.

Saloojee further pointed out that Denel had, in July, concluded a R3.5-billion contract with Malaysia to supply a range of turrets and integrated weapon systems to be fitted onto infantry combat vehicles.

“This has raised our profile in the region and emphasised the quality and versatility of our products and systems,” he said, adding that Denel was widely acknowledged to be a global leader in artillery systems and unmanned aerial vehicles and that it was contributing to some of the most advanced missile development programmes currently in progress.