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Pretoria - Eurocopter, the world's foremost helicopter manufacturer, recently selected a South African aeronautics and design company to manufacture generic weapon systems for its light and medium-sized helicopters.
Midrand-based ATE (Advanced Technologies & Engineering) and Eurocopter announced their partnership at the recent Paris Air Show.
This means that ATE will in future be part of the European manufacturer's product list at systems level, whether helicopters are being marketed or sold.
According to the partnership, the weapons system will soon be integrated into one of Eurocopter's AS550 Fennec light military helicopters in South Africa at ATE's Midrand plant - as the flagship of the partnership and future marketing steps.
The system enables the buyer either to convert his existing fleet of Eurocopter helicopters into light attack helicopters or to consider the weapons system as an option when buying new helicopters.
It includes the options of armed reconnaissance, airborne command and control, air support and maritime patrols in operations such as such as anti-piracy and coast-guarding.
The system includes Denel's Ingwe anti-tank missile as its missile of choice. This could in future hold secondary benefits for the manufacturer.
According to ATE, the heavyweight capacity of Tiger or a Rooivalk attack helicopter is not, in the current climate of shrinking defence budgets, a proposition for many air forces.
The option of equipping light helicopters with the generic system puts such air forces in a position to have this more affordable capability on a smaller scale.
ATE's latest contract comes after the company has previously very successfully upgraded several countries' Russian Mi-17 and Mi-24 helicopters.
The company prides itself on being able successfully to integrate practically any system on any platform.
- Sake24.com
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