Photo by: Keith Campbell
Airbus Helicopters and Denel Aviation announced on Thursday that they were to cooperate on the upgrading of the South African Air Force's Denel Rooivalk Mark (Mk) 1 attack helicopters. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to this end at the Africa Aerospace and Defence 2016 exhibition at Air Force Base Waterkloof in Centurion, just south of Pretoria.
The upgrade will take the form of a phased programme and will improve the supportability of the helicopter, improve reliability and replace obsolete components. The Rooivalk Mk 1 already uses Airbus Helicopter technologies in its dynamic components. The MoU also includes a proposed action plan for the companies to follow, subject to approval by the South African government.
Furthermore, work carried out as part of this upgrade programme will also support future developments of the Rooivalk. "[This MoU] showed both parties' willingness to strengthen and deepen their relationship with a view to establishing a long-term strategic cooperative partnership," said Airbus Helicopters senior VP Olivier Lambert.
"As part of the Rooivalk roadmap we developed, we will launch a market assessment and feasibility study into a modernised version of the Rooivalk incorporating enhanced operational capabilities," pointed out Denel Aviation CEO Mike Kgobe. "Our ultimate objective is to offer a South African product which will provide an attractive solution or potential export customers around the world."