Posted on 10/05/2009 10:46:35 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Ecuador close to sealing deal to buy SA’s Cheetah fighter jets
JULIUS BAUMANN Published: 2009/10/06 06:14:17 AM
THE Ecuadorian Air Force has taken a step closer to acquiring 12 Cheetah aircraft previously operated by the South African Air Force after naming Denel Aviation as a preferred bidder.
Denel Aviation was last year mandated by Armscor, the state agency responsible for the disposal of retired and surplus South African National Defence Force material and equipment, to sell the South African Air Force Cheetah fleet, believed to number about 40 aircraft. The South African Air Force decommissioned its fleet of Cheetah C and D aircraft, a variant of the French Mirage III, in April last year after taking delivery of its first Gripen combat aircraft.
Denel Aviation won the bid after responding to a call from Ecuador to submit an expression of interest to supply aircraft to the country. The contract, once concluded, will include the maintenance of the aircraft to be carried out in Ecuador and SA for five years.
Ecuador has been looking for aircraft to replace its obsolete fleet of supersonic jets and expressed its preference for the former South African Air Force aircraft, which have some commonality with its fleet of Mirage aircraft. A team from the Ecuadorian Air Force was in SA earlier this year to inspect the jets.
Denel Aviation CEO Ismail Dockrat said the fact that the aircraft were fairly new, were well-maintained and had modern avionics appealed to Ecuador. “When you look at the fleet of combat aircraft available on the secondary market, it is clear that these aircraft are a lot more modern. That the South African Air Force also kept meticulous records is another plus.”
Dockrat would not be drawn on the purchase price, but said there had been a fair degree of interest in the aircraft from various parties prior to the expression of interest from Ecuador.
Denel Aviation has vast experience maintaining the Cheetah and was involved with the structured phase-out of the jet. It was also the prime contractor in the development of the Cheetah, in the mid-1980s, and it holds the design authority for, and the maintenance expertise on, the Cheetah.
“This is a huge business opportunity for us and we are thrilled by it as its success will have a positive impact not only for Denel Aviation but for other local industry players involved in the Cheetah aircraft support,” said Dockrat, who hopes to conclude the agreement before the end of the year.
baumannj@bdfm.co.za
Looks like a MIrage knock off... bad placement of the refueling probe. Airflow gets all messed up when the basket is slipped in and goes to bouncing around and all there is for it to hit is the canopy... bad design.
Call me a pacifist if you will, but the idea of perennially poor Latin American nations spending money on fighter jets strikes me as stupid and wasteful. There, I said it. (apologies to Mark Levin)
>>>Call me a pacifist if you will, but the idea of perennially poor Latin American nations spending money on fighter jets strikes me as stupid and wasteful.
At the core of the argument you are correct, I’ve made it myself in prior threads. But fair consideration has to be given to the Hugo Chavez military buildup. As the cokehead buys MiGs the other nations in the continent are forced to look to their own air defense.
Under the circumstances, used South African Mirages seem like an intelligent choice. A decent airplane at second-hand prices.
It may be an enhanced Isaeli Kifir, but Israel won't admit it. And yes, that was derived from the Mirage.
Much of what the SA-cans have done is pretty mum, they even use the word "Classified".
I am not in defense, but keen observer, this bird is a mystery that I wish some light would shine upon. Yes I know it is not a gen 4 or 5 fighter, but I am curious as to its capabilities. Their may be more their than meets the eye
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