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Defence & Aerospace

VVIP presidential jet still an option even though defence's budget is cut by billions

By: News24Wire 18th May 2018 Despite a budget cut amounting to billions, the purchase of a VVIP presidential jet by the South African Defence Force is not off the table. In her speech in the debate about the South African Defence Force budget on Friday, Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said: "I must now report to... →

Union welcomes departure of Denel Group CEO

By: Rebecca Campbell 15th May 2018 The Solidarity trade union on Tuesday welcomed the resignation of Denel Group CEO Zwelakhe Ntshepe that same day. It also expressed its support for recently appointed board chairperson (Ms) Monhla Hlahla, complimenting her for the changes she has already made at the State-owned defence industrial... →

Photo by Duane Daws/Creamer Media
Zwelakhe Ntshepe

Denel Group CEO resigns

By: Rebecca Campbell 15th May 2018 State-owned defence industrial group Denel announced on Tuesday that its Group CEO, Zwelakhe Ntshepe, had resigned. The resignation was also with effect from Tuesday. He had been appointed Group CEO only six months ago, following two years in which he had been acting in that capacity. Ntshepe... →

Photo by Duane Daws/Creamer Media
Michael Kgobe

Some inroads made after ten years of the Industrial Policy Action Plan - Davies

By: Kim Cloete 15th May 2018 Ramping up production in the automotive sector, resuscitating the ailing tooling industry and boosting the clothing, textiles, leather and footwear industries are among successes the government has listed in its review of ten years of the Industrial Policy Action Plan (Ipap). Despite a... →

Drone industry to expand in 2018

By: Erin Steenhoff-Snethlage 11th May 2018 Any sector has the potential to adapt drones to its purposes, owing to drones being versatile, relatively low cost and on an upward trajectory in terms of technological development, says United Drone Holdings CEO Sean Reitz. “Mines have adopted drones for aerial surveys, which is a cheaper,... →

YEAR OF THE DRONE The versatility of drones make them adaptable for a variety of industries

Paramount in talks to boost Saudi arms industry

By: Reuters 2nd May 2018 South African defence company Paramount Group is in talks with the Saudi Arabia government to establish production facilities in the kingdom, its chairman said on Monday. Saudi Arabia, one of the world's largest arms buyers, is seeking international partners to develop its manufacturing... →

Syrian storm puts SA in uncomfortable company

By: Rebecca Campbell 27th April 2018 On April 7, Douma, in Syria, was subject to what appears to have been a chemical weapons attack. The Syrian Government has an independently-established (by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, or OPCW) record of using chemical weapons in the current civil war, and against... →

Cape institution uses space to train students and benefit country at same time

By: Rebecca Campbell 20th April 2018 Engineers and researchers at the French South African Institute of Technology at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) are in an advanced stage of developing the institution’s second nanosatellite, designated ZACube-2. “CPUT has used CubeSat programmes to encourage students to train... →

New Denel board faces tough turnaround task as financial pressure mounts

By: Rebecca Campbell 20th April 2018 Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan recently announced the completely new, high-powered, Board to turn-around beleaguered State-owned defence industrial group Denel. Technically, it is currently an interim Board, he explained, because it had not yet been approved by the Cabinet. He... →

Solidarity alleges mismanagement of funds at Denel

By: Simone Liedtke 19th April 2018 Trade union Solidarity on Thursday alleged in a report titled ‘Denel Dossier’ that State-owned aerospace and defence group Denel’s top management received increases of up to 60% in their salaries, as well as 100% performance bonuses last year, while there were insufficient funds to pay employees... →

Photo by Simone Liedtke
Trade union Solidarity on Thursday made several allegations in a report titled 'Denel Dossier' on the mismanagement of funds

St Helena's cherished lifeline ship to return as anti-piracy armoury

By: Reuters 18th April 2018 The RMS St Helena, Britain's last working postal ship, was for nearly three decades the main source of contact between one of humanity's remotest islands and the outside world. Now the ship, cherished by the 4 500 residents of British-ruled St. Helena, will start a new life as a floating armoury,... →

Photo by Reuters
RMS St Helena

UK project could halve titanium parts production costs

By: Rebecca Campbell 13th April 2018 The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced late last month that its Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (officially abbreviated to Dstl) had, in cooperation with the University of Sheffield, developed of a radical new method of producing titanium parts. Dstl has so far invested almost... →

Security drones taking off, but SA restrictions limit adoption

By: Dylan Slater 13th April 2018 Drones, otherwise known as remotely piloted aircraft systems, continue to gain footholds in an increasing number of industries, with adoption rates in safety and security industry growing worldwide. In fact, safety and security drone sales totalled $145-million in 2016, according to a market... →

New interim Denel board appointed

12th April 2018 Creamer Media's Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Engineering News Senior Deputy Editor Rebecca Campbell about the appointment of a new interim board of directors at State-owned Denel and how this might help turn things around at the embattled group. →

New interim Denel board appointed

Gordhan appoints new Denel interim board

By: Rebecca Campbell 9th April 2018 Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan on Monday announced a completely new, high-powered, board to turn around beleaguered State-owned defence industrial group Denel. Technically, it is currently an interim board, he explained, because it had not yet been approved by the Cabinet. He... →

Photo by Dylan Slater
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan

Future of SA space industry lies in collaborations and constellations

By: Rebecca Campbell 6th April 2018 International collaboration is essential for a successful South African space programme. “The future of the South African space industry lies in international collaboration in satellite constellations,” affirms South African private-sector space enterprise SCS Aerospace Group Executive Chairman... →

Next-generation Boeing jets to lower costs for local airline group

By: Rebecca Campbell 30th March 2018 The entry into service of eight next generation Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft with South Africa’s private-sector Comair airline group will cut the airline’s fuel expenditure per seat by 15%. This was highlighted by Comair CEO Erik Venter at a press conference on Thursday. (This assumes that the fuel... →

Space essential for meeting South Africa’s economic and social development goals

By: Rebecca Campbell 30th March 2018 In August last year, the US-based Space Foundation reported that the worldwide space economy had been worth $329-billion in 2016, up from $323-billion in 2015. The Foundation noted that the rise had been due to the increase in commercial space activities (there had been tiny declines in... →

Earth observation satellite programme still not fully funded

By: Rebecca Campbell 30th March 2018 South Africa's current Earth observation satellite programme, presently known as EO-Sat1, is still not fully funded, South African National Space Agency (Sansa) Executive Director: Space Programme Amal Khatri told "Engineering News". He was speaking on the sidelines of the recent Sansa Space for... →

Ghanaians protest over expanded military co-operation deal with US

By: Reuters 28th March 2018 Thousands of people protested in Ghana's capital Accra on Wednesday against the expansion of its defence cooperation with the United States, in a rare public display of opposition to the growing foreign military presence in West Africa. Demonstrators blowing vuvuzelas and beating drums filled... →

Burger resigns as CEO of Denel Land Systems

By: Creamer Media Reporter 27th March 2018 Stephan Burger has resigned as CEO of Denel Land Systems (DLS). Burger, who is one of the longest-serving members of the Denel group, was appointed CEO of DLS in 2004. →

UK defence technology breakthrough could cut titanium parts production costs by half

By: Rebecca Campbell 26th March 2018 The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on Monday that its Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (officially abbreviated to Dstl) had, in cooperation with the University of Sheffield, developed of a radical new method of producing titanium parts. Dstl has so far invested almost £30... →

Photo by Crown Copyright (UK)
The FAST-forge technology demonstration unit at the University of Sheffield

The challenges and opportunities facing South Africa’s space sector

23rd March 2018 Creamer Media's Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Engineering News Senior Deputy Editor Rebecca Campbell about the key themes discussed at the recent South African National Space Agency for National Development Conference, including funding constrains and growth opportunities for the South African space... →

The challenges and opportunities facing South Africa’s space sector

Aerosud Aviation warns of tough times for the South African aerospace industry

By: Rebecca Campbell 16th March 2018 South Africa’s largest private-sector commercial aviation aerostructures manufacturing company, Aerosud Aviation (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aerosud Holdings), warns that the local aerospace industry is going through tough times and is not receiving the kind of support that competitors in other... →

New Boeing jets will bring lower costs for local airline group

By: Rebecca Campbell 15th March 2018 The entry into service of eight next generation Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft with South Africa’s private-sector Comair airline group will cut the airline’s fuel expenditure per seat by 15%. This was highlighted by Comair CEO Erik Venter at a press conference on Thursday. (This assumes that the fuel... →

Photo by Boeing
A Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight test development aircraft

Comair announces selection of Honeywell avionics for its new airliners

By: Rebecca Campbell 9th March 2018 South Africa’s second largest airline company, Comair, and American software-industrial group Honeywell announced on Friday that the airline has chosen the US group’s advanced cockpit technologies suite to equip the Boeing 737-800 MAX 8 airliners that it is acquiring. The suite will include a... →

Photo by Honeywell
An IntuVue RDR-4000 radar in the nose of Honeywell’s Convair 580 flying test bed

Cape Town shipbuilder gets order for new Navy patrol vessels

By: Rebecca Campbell 9th March 2018 Local shipbuilder Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT), part of the global Netherlands-based Damen Group, announced at the end of February that it had received an order to build three inshore patrol vessels (IPVs) for the South African Navy (SAN). The order was placed by South African defence... →

SANDF revises presidential flight procedures after Ramaphosa's Moti flight

By: News24Wire 8th March 2018 Internal processes around the procurement of private aircraft for presidential flights have been revised following news reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa flew on an aircraft owned by the Moti company. Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula was grilled in the National Assembly on Wednesday... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Undoing State capture in South Africa will face stiff resistance, sabotage – Gordhan

By: African News Agency 6th March 2018 Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan on Tuesday said the new political dispensation in South Africa and the reversal of the “bad things” which led to the capture of key state institutions by private interests will be regularly opposed by the beneficiaries of the corruption. “I think we all... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan

Order placed for new Navy patrol vessels

By: Rebecca Campbell 27th February 2018 Local shipbuilder Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT), part of the global Netherlands-based Damen Group, announced on Monday that it had received an order to build three inshore patrol vessels (IPVs) for the South African Navy (SAN). The order was placed by South African defence acquisitions,... →

Photo by Damen
A computer-generated image of one of the Damen IPVs in South African Navy service

Alaris posts promising interim results; focuses on organic growth, US opportunities

By: Schalk Burger 26th February 2018 AltX-listed specialist antenna firm Alaris Holdings has posted a 67% year-on-year increase in profit after tax to R21.6-million for the six months ended December 31. Revenue increased by 21% to R102.6-million, headline earnings a share from continuing operations increased by 125% to 18.62c and... →

Union threatens protest action at defence group Denel

By: Rebecca Campbell 23rd February 2018 Trade union Solidarity warned on Friday that its members at State-owned defence industrial group Denel were ready to start protesting at the company. This follows the response by Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown to a recent urgent letter to her from Solidarity about, in the union’s words,... →

Photo by Keith Campbell/Creamer Media
Various Denel products on display at the Group’s Head Office in Centurion, south of Pretoria. From front to rear, a portable launcher for the Ingwe missile, an Ingwe missile, a Badger infantry fighting vehicle, a Seeker 400 unmanned aerial vehicle (largely obscured), and a Casspir mine protected vehicle.

Denel looks for new market in Africa

By: Donald Makhafola 23rd February 2018 State-owned aerospace and defence technology company Denel is looking to grow its export market by exploring other areas of specialisation, innovation, customisation and cyberspace. →

Photo by Dauane Daws
SUSTAINABILITY Denel wants to improve its product offering and grow its market into Africa

Reduced funding triggers organisational turnaround

By: Donald Makhafola 23rd February 2018 Owing to the Department of Defence's reduced funding allocation for defence in the country, acquisition agency Armscor has undergone the first phase of an organisational turnaround which will lead its top priorities being revenue generation, cost efficiency, and effective delivery of key products... →

DRIVING INNOVATION Armscor focuses on creating an environment for economic growth and driving innovation

SA’s defence industry has potential to grow global market share

By: Donald Makhafola 23rd February 2018 Owing to its international competitiveness and high levels of innovation, the local defence industry has a global reach and an increasing export market despite the low national defence budget, says global defence and security company Saab Grintek Defence president and CEO Trevor Raman. "The... →

A major local aerospace industry development initiative is coming back to life

By: Rebecca Campbell 23rd February 2018 The Centurion Aerospace Village (CAV), an initiative of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is being revitalised after spending some years in the doldrums. The initiative dates back to 2006 and was formally opened in 2008, but to date has only had one tenant, local aeronautics enterprise... →

Land and asset sales on cards as government seeks revenue-neutral support for State firms

By: Terence Creamer 21st February 2018 Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba used his maiden Budget to reinforce President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent announcement that stakes in cash-strapped State-owned companies (SoCs) could be sold to reduce their reliance on bail-outs and debt. Ramaphosa made the announcement in his response to the debate... →

Topics In These Articles

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