Denel acting CEO Zwelakhe Ntshepe
State-owned defence industrial group Denel will be signing two landmark agreements with counterparts in the Malaysian industry during this week’s Defence Asia Exhibition – DSA2016 – in Kuala Lumpur.
The agreements formed part of the offset arrangements contained in the 2012 contract to supply turrets and integrated weapon systems for the new generation of armoured vehicles that would be used by the Malaysian defence force. Designed and developed by Denel Landward Solutions (DLS), this was the largest export contract in Denel’s history.
According to Denel acting CEO Zwelakhe Ntshepe, the relationship between the South African and Malaysian defence industries would be expanded with the signing of the new agreements. “We are rapidly moving into new areas of cooperation on knowledge-sharing and joint research, especially in the vital terrain of electronic warfare,” he said, adding that the agreements would open doors within Malaysian markets for other South African defence and manufacturing companies.
“[They will also] provide us with a vital foothold into the rapidly expanding Asia-Pacific region,” said Ntshepe.
One of the memorandums signed at DSA2016 involves the University of Pretoria (UP) hosting students from the National Defence University of Malaysia (NDUM). These students would continue their post-graduate studies in South Africa under the auspices of Professor Warren du Plessis, who heads up the Electronic Defence Research department at UP.
These students’ research would enable both countries to spearhead global research in electronic warfare and apply this knowledge through technology that would benefit their respective defence and security sectors.
“The collaborative research will deepen the defence and technology relationships between South Africa and Malaysia and create centres of research excellence in these emerging economies,” said DLS CEO Stephan Burger.
UP has welcomed the agreement and regards it as an opportunity to work closer with Malaysian tertiary institutions, leading to long-term collaborative research and development on electronic warfare.
The agreement follows a recent fact-finding tour of South African universities and the CSIR by senior members of the NDUM management. The NDUM’s objective is to establish a centre of excellence for electronic defence research; the research conducted in South Africa will accelerate this initiative.
Denel worked closely with Malaysia’s Ministry of Defence, as well as its Defence Industry Division (DID) and the Technology Depository Agency (TDA), which fell under the Ministry of Finance, for the offset management of Denel’s programmes in Malaysia.
The importance of South East Asia as a growth market for Denel would be underscored through its strong presence at DSA2016. The four-day event brought together defence decision-makers and industry representatives from more than 50 countries.
A number of defence technology products designed and developed by the Denel group were on display at the show. These included scale models of the Rooivalk combat helicopter; the Seeker 200 unmanned aerial vehicle; and missile systems, such as the Ingwe, the Mokopa and the A-Darter air-to-air missile.