South African company Saab Grintek Defence (SGD), part of the Swedish Saab aerospace and defence group, has been awarded two orders, worth $33-million (about R335-million) in total, by Indian State- owned aircraft company Hindustan Aero-nautics Limited (HAL) to supply it with integrated electronic warfare (EW) self-protec- tion systems. These will be fitted to the HAL Dhruv advanced light helicopters being delivered to the Indian Air Force and Army.
“Saab in South Africa fulfils an important mandate on the African continent and beyond by delivering an impressive range of South African electronic warfare technology,” affirmed Saab South Africa CEO Magnus Lewis-Olsson. “Up to 90% of these systems are being designed and produced in Saab Grintek Defence facilities in South Africa – we are proud to deliver on this important contract.”
The EW system concerned is Saab’s Inte-grated Defensive Aids Suite (Idas). This is already in widespread use on a significant variety of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. It provides rapid warning against hostile radar and laser systems and approaching missiles, and automatically activates the relevant countermeasures. It is designed to operate in threat environments that are dense, diverse and sophisticated. Consequently, it increases the survivability of the aircraft and its crew and passengers in combat situations.
These new contracts are follow-ups to initial production orders placed in 2008. Devel- opment of the definitive Idas version com-patible with the Dhruv will be carried out by SGD in Centurion, just south of Pretoria. Production of the systems for the helicopter will also take place there. Deliveries will start next year.
“With these orders we continue to build on our very successful partnership with HAL,” stated Saab India head of marketing Lars-Olof Lindgren. “The fact that HAL and the armed forces have continued to show faith in the Idas sys-tem is a testimony of the effectiveness and reliability of the solution.”
“Saab has an unbeaten capability in the field of electronic warfare and self-protection,” highlighted Saab senior VP and Electronic Defence Systems head Micael Johansson. “The Idas system is one of our flagship products sold to customers around the world.”
Fixed-wing aircraft that Idas is in service with include the Saab 2000, Lockheed Martin C-130 and L-100 Hercules and Sukhoi SU-30MKM. The helicopters using the system include the AgustaWestland A109, AgustaWestland Super Lynx, Boeing CH-47 Chinook, Denel Oryx, Denel Rooivalk, Euro- copter Puma, Eurocopter Super Puma, Eurocopter Cougar and the NH Industries NH90.
The Dhruv has a crew of two, with dual flight controls and can carry up to 14 passengers, depending on its configuration. It has been designed to fulfil military, paramilitary, parapublic (such as policing, fire fighting and emergency medical services) and civil roles and missions. It has a maximum all-up weight of 5.5 t and can take a useful load of 2.25 t. Production of the Dhruv began in 2000. Deliveries of the Mark III version of the helicopter started in 2011. Reportedly, more than 140 Dhruvs have been built so far.
The main operators of the helicopter are the Indian Air Force, Indian Army, Indian Coast Guard (but not the Indian Navy). The main export customer so far is the Ecuadorean Air Force. Tiny numbers are also reported to be in service in other countries, including Nepal (two) and the Maldives (one).