₦airaland Forum

GreenandGold, Jl115, finally!
How long have we been saying Denel's 8 or 9 companies should be rationalized into a logical sectorally-driven 4!

They are:
Denel Aerospace, the former Denel Aeronautics and Denel Overberg Test Range (OTR);
Denel Guided Weapons, the former Denel Dynamics;
Denel Landwards, a consolidation of Denel Land Systems (DLS), Denel PMP, Denel Vehicle Systems (DVS) OMC and Mechatronic business units; and
Integrated System Solutions (ISS). This “expands Denel’s level 4, 5 and 6 integration diversifying the ISS military system integration capability into the civil security realm”.

https://www.defenceweb.co.za/industry/industry-industry/strategic-changes-coming-at-denel-new-ceo-affirms/

Faithful007:
Go and work for Aljazeera. Since you love the Houthis this much.

The irrational exuberance of the young!
You'll learn, hopefully.
In the meantime, some homework fit for a pre-teen:
1) how would Houthis based in Yemen disrupt cables on the west coast/Atlantic of Africa?
2) seeing as they "cut all internet cables in Africa", how on earth are we still reading and responding to your over-eager higher primary school regurgitation?
Feel free to consult maps and other materials to help you along.

Odunayaw:
NA had a good opportunity to get IFVs among the Type 89s they got in bulk. When I saw that it was inducted just like that I had to rethink what I understood about NA doctrine.

Even the FV107 we got is a recon vehicle for Armoured Corps but yeah I think we use it in the IFV role

NA doctrine is a mystery to all of us.

The Medium Turret Technology Demonstrator (MTTD) on Rooikat: 105mm high-pressure or 120mm low-pressure gun mounted on a remote turret in conjunction with an autoloading system; an Active Protection System (APS) launcher on the rear of the turret to increase the survivability of the platform when facing anti-tank missiles.

I thought we were beyond this infantile nonsense of compiling fantasy shopping lists! Russian, Chinese, western...all meaningless without a clearly defined Mech Inf doctrine.

Faithful007:
I heard that Houthis have cut all the Internet cables connecting Africa

Your source must have industrial grades of ignorance!

Odunayaw:
The Chinese Z10 failed trials with Pak. They'd have to wait, or just clean up their acts

Those arseholes cleaning up their act?
The Z10 failed, which is why for about 18 months now, they've been trying out the Z10ME with the more powerful WZ-9G 1200 kW engine.
As for waiting, I'm not sure they would: ATAK 2's engine is a joint Turk-Ukraine development, and with the Ukrainians rather busy with other things nowadays, it's anybody's guess when even a prototype takes to the sky.

Odunayaw:
We are not a country that funds terrorism in our neighbourhood and are sworn enemies of the Asian next door so it's not the same thing.

The Pakistanis will either wait for the non-US engined TAI ATAK 2 heavy-class attack chopper or simply buy Chinese.

bidexiii:
Am hearing this for the 1st time yesterday, but it's possible.

This is simply untrue:
455 is the price of the choppers;
Add the engines, spares, armaments, comms, training etc., and it's almost $1 billion.

Faithful007:
It was paid with FX from oil sale. Oil industry is dollar revenue so naira devaluation doesn't affect it.

I believe it was paid in 2019 or at least part of it was paid then alongside the Tucanos.

I guess the State Department doesn't know what it's talking about.

In August of last year, Nigeria delivered the first payment for 12 AH-1Z Attack Helicopters worth a total of $997 million.

https://www.state.gov/u-s-security-cooperation-with-nigeria/

Odunayaw:
I heard the prices were negotiated down to $455m

That's just for the clean choppers from Bell.
Add everything else and it's still almost $1 billion.
And of course, with the naira doing its dance, the deal has got way more expensive.
I notice the 1st payment was made in August 2023; any idea how many tranches and the time frame for the whole thing? Too lazy to look it up.

Odunayaw:
Damn! That means 11% of those who were certified physically able couldn't meet up with learning what it takes to be a STF operator!

But why's the attrition rate so high? I believe there's a certain level of proficiency one gets to that any increment becomes less decisive.

At some point it's no longer physical, but mental. Think about that 15-month training cycle: the mental strain of knowing every single week is a test & evaluation and one could be binned! Imagine failing the very last week, after enduring Selection and 15 months of brutal slog.
I imagine there are instructors who look at that 11% and think, "we weren't tough enough on them, we'll rectify that next year!"
There've been years when nobody made it.

Odunayaw:
Imagine going through that brutal selection phase and returning back home to not get the best training possible. Waste.

Talk about brutal. Course 37 of the SA Police Special Task Force:
- 525 serving SA Police personnel applied;
- 150 made it to pre-Selection;
- 110 started Selection;
- 13 earned Operator status this week, after Selection and the 15-month STF training cycle!

Nemesis4you, how did I miss this? Edge/Denel Dynamics Al-Tariq PGM integration on Tejas!

EDGE, one of the world’s leading advanced technology groups for defence and beyond, announced today at Dubai Airshow (DAS) 2023, the successful completion of the feasibility studies for the integration of the AL TARIQ long-range precision-guided munitions (LR-PGMs) on the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Tejas LCA.

The announcement follows an MoU signed earlier this year between AL TARIQ, a joint venture company, between EDGE and Denel (South Africa), responsible for the design and production of the uniquely modular AL TARIQ family of LR-PGMs, and HAL, an India-based leader in the design, manufacturing, and maintenance of aircraft, engines, avionics, and related accessories. The aim of the MoU is to integrate the AL TARIQ LR-PGM onto the HAL Tejas LCA and other platforms as part of their campaign to offer a long-range precision weapon solution to the region.

Theunis Botha, CEO of AL TARIQ, said: “We are proud to be associated with HAL in this strategic campaign to offer high technology solutions to the Tejas customers in the region. We look forward to presenting the range of AL TARIQ’s mission-proven long-range precision-guided munitions to HAL Tejas customers around the globe.”

The AL TARIQ family of modular, all-weather, day/night LR-PGMs are designed to fit onto the Mark 80 series and the Indian designed High-Speed Low Drag (HSLD) series of aerial munitions. The addition of a wing kit converts the AL TARIQ-S (Standard Range) to the AL TARIQ-LR (Long Range), extending the stand-off range from 45km to 120km.

The Tejas LCA is an India-made single-engine, delta wing light multirole combat aircraft, with three production versions, the Mark 1, Mark 1A and trainer version. As a multirole platform, the Tejas LCA is designed to perform different roles, including ground attack, air support, and reconnaissance.
Full integration and qualification of AL TARIQ’s LR-PGMs on HAL’s Tejas LCA is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2024.

https://www.defensehere.com/en/edge-entity-al-tariq-completes-initial-integration-of-al-tariq-pgms-onto-hal-tejas-light-combat-aircraft

...last.

Flightglobal's comprehensive report on their Paramount Mwari test flight.

https://www.flightglobal.com/defence/we-fly-mwari-paramounts-low-cost-warrior-with-a-big-spirit/157104.article

Odunayaw:
I think Frumentius then mentioned something about Kenyans going through Reccees training cycle

I read somewhere that it has changed: non-Saffers can still do Selection, but are no longer admitted to the courses on the advanced cycle.
EDIT: it would appear some courses on the cycle are still open to SADC SF.

"SAS Amatola has been earmarked to sail on a voyage, the likes of which the Navy has never attempted. She will sail along the East Coast of Africa, through the Suez Canal and stop at Alexandria in Egypt. Here she will exercise with our friends from the Egyptian Navy. From there she will sail through the Mediterranean Sea, through the Straits of Gibraltar, and head north. She will sail through the English Channel, the North Sea and enter the Baltic Sea. She will sail to St Petersburg in Russia and take part in their Navy Anniversary Parade at the end of July.

On her return voyage she will return along the west coast of Africa, stopping to refuel and exercise with African countries along the way. This voyage will be approximately 19 000 nautical miles, and will be one of the longest voyages ever undertaken by a SA Navy vessel. This will also be the first time that a SA Navy ship has circumnavigated the African continent since 1994."

This is according to Vice Admiral Monde Lobese, who divulged this while addressing a 20 years long service medal parade in Simons Town on 29 February.

Third SA Navy MMIPV to be christened on Friday

Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT) and the SA Navy (SAN) will christen the latest addition to the fleet – multi-mission inshore patrol vessel (MMIPV) number three – on Friday (1 March).

She is the final platform in Project Biro, originally scheduled for three inshore and three offshore patrol vessels, for the maritime service of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF). SAS King Sekhukhune I (P1571) and SAS King Shaka Zulu (P1572) are on the SAN fleet inventory and it is expected the ship allocated pennant number P1573 will be taken into service in the third quarter of this year following launch and extensive operational testing and evaluation (OTE).

P1573 will sail as SAS Adam Kok if information provided to defenceWeb last year remains unchanged. At that time this publication was informed P1572 would carry the name “King Shaka” which had “Zulu” added soon before she was delivered to the SAN last October. P1573 has, in some communications, been called “Chief Adam Kok” with SAN public relations yet to respond to a defenceWeb inquiry on the exact name she will sail under. The SAN took delivery of its first Damen-built MMIPV SAS King Sekhukhune I in June 2022.

In the SA Navy, ship name selection is a process starting with suitable name submissions, final selection of a name, with a pennant number assigned the new platform and then onto keel laying, ceremonial ship launching, naming and blessing (termed the ship’s christening ceremony by SA Naval Museum Officer in Charge and historian, Commander Leon Steyn) followed by commissioning and taking into service. Steyn further points out before commissioning a new ship undergoes sea trials. This allows for deficiencies to be corrected.

“The preparation and readiness time between launch and commissioning may vary, from as much as three years for large and complex vessels, or as brief as weeks, often the case during the turbulent days of World War II,” according to Steyn.

Ship commissioning, according to him, is “the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service”.

“The term is most commonly applied to placing a naval vessel in active duty with its country’s military forces. The ceremonies involved are often rooted in centuries-old naval tradition. At the moment the commissioning pennant is hoisted and broken at the masthead, a ship becomes a navy command in her own right and takes her place alongside the other active ships of the fleet.”

SAS Adam Kok is, like her Warrior Class counterparts, designed and built for rapid response to, among others, counter piracy, IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing and smuggling ranging from arms to goods (including narcotics) and human trafficking.

Once declared seaworthy, SAS Adam Kok will join her sister ships, including the former strike craft SAS Makhanda (P1569), at Naval Base (NB) Durban – the patrol squadron’s designated home port.

Damen Shipyards Cape Town is the shipbuilder for all three MMIPVs, completing them to the company’s Stan Patrol 6211 design. The 62 metre long, 750 ton vessels have a 20 knot economical speed and a range of 2 000 nautical miles. Each vessel is fitted with a Reutech 20 mm Super Sea Rogue marine gun and Reutech FORT (frequency modulated optical radar tracker) low probability of intercept (LPI) optronics radar tracking system, and carries a 9 metre and a 7 metre RHIB (rigid hull inflatable boat) for boarding and other operations.

TNPA tugs

DSCT has been awarded other government shipbuilding work, this time from the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), which is injecting a R1 billion investment in its marine fleet renewal programme through the acquisition of seven tugboats aimed at enhancing marine operations at its commercial seaports.

TNPA has awarded two contracts to Damen Shipyards Cape Town to deliver the seven tugboats from April to August 2024. From this procured tug fleet, the Port of Durban has been allocated five tugboats and two will go to the Port of East London, Africa Ports & Ships reported.

“The tight delivery timeline suggests the possibility that some if not more of the tugs may come from existing stocks built elsewhere. In addition to the Cape Town yard, Damen has more than 60 shipyards across the world and frequently maintains a stock of almost ready-built tugs,” the publication added.

“The latest order for seven tugboats marks a radical departure in tugboat procurement for the TNPA, which for the past 40 or so years has placed orders almost exclusively with the Durban-based fully South African firm currently named Sandock Austral – previously Southern African Shipyards,” Africa Ports & Ships reported.

Odunayaw:
Our economy is currently (not so currently) going through the gutters. It would be a pain if some lazy head senator starts uttering nonsense like "but you just paid for planes"

The economic reforms instituted by Tinubu are long-overdue and necessary. In the short to mid-term there will be pain, but the Nigerian economy will come out better for it. If the administration withstands the pressure.
As for legislators uttering nonsense, this global phenomenon can't be helped, unfortunately. Our local version: "You (the military) always complain your budget is inadequate, but look at what you accomplish with this small budget!"

jl115:
SANDF SVI Max 3 4x4 and 6x6 vehicles

So SVI won the border patrol vehicle competition?

Edit: just read that this is a separate contract.

Additional border security technology will be acquired by the SANDF. In March 2023, it was revealed National Treasury was giving the SANDF a R700 million injection over the next three years for procurement of vehicles and surveillance technology for border security. The ‘troop pack’ vehicles (at present Toyota Land Cruisers) will be replaced with off-the-shelf vehicles and R500 million will be spent in 2024/25 for this.

R200 million worth of sensor technology will be acquired for Operation Corona in 2025/26, including a geographic information system (GIS) capability (R22.5 million); intelligence collection and processing capabilities (R47 million under Project Baobab); upgraded Chaka command and control system (R7.2 million); Reutech RSR 903 radars (R57 million); 60 observation posts (R16 million under Project Dominate); 16 quadcopter unmanned aerial vehicles (R16 million) and two long range UAVs (R24 million). On 12 February this year, Armscor issued a tender for the procurement of unmanned aerial vehicles, with a closing date of 5 March.

The SANDF ultimately wants to replace the troop packs with armoured personnel carriers (APCs), which would serve with all 15 companies on Operation Corona duty. In January 2023, Armscor issued a request for information for APCs to get an indication of what new vehicles would cost, with responses ranging from R6 million to R18 million each. Armscor planned to request three vehicles for the upcoming borderline test and by the end of the year decide which is best and how many the SANDF can afford, but demonstrations have been delayed.

January 2023’s request for information called for a 2+8 seat APC for counter-insurgency operations with variable ballistic and mine protection, including the ability to defeat an 8 kg mine. The vehicles would replace or supplement Mamba and Casspir vehicles.

bidexiii:
That's the question everyone is asking ?

The excellent former NAF chief Sadiq Abubakar, under whose command all these procurements commenced, vowed to eliminate middle-men. It is strange to now go back to this practice.

As an aside, now that you guys have retired him, can we offer him citizenship and commission him in the SAAF?

bidexiii:
In my own opinion, I think it's because is a very affordable/cheap aircraft to maintain compared to other aircrafts inbits class.
The French Air and Space Force operates 27 units of this aircraft.

The CN235-200 is in a class completely different from the C130 & C390. And thus can't or shouldn't affect whatever plans the NAF has for the latter.
It's a good procurement for its role. Odunayaw seemed to be saying he feared it would take the role of the latter bigger aircraft, and later realised it wouldn't.
My point was he needn't have that fear, due to the different roles and capabilities.

Odunayaw:
My optimism for the Brazilian C-390 to replace the C130s nearly died

Why? Completely different classes of aircraft.
Analogous to the Bell and medium chopper faulty comparison in the other discussion.

bidexiii:
[/b]Breaking ‼️ |
In an official statement issued on its website, state owned Indonesian Aerospace (PTDI) has announced it is currently in the process of securing a new export contract for 4x CN235-220 multipurpose aircrafts for the Nigerian Air Force.

The deal is being negotiated through Allied Aeronautics Limited (AAL) a local company in Nigeria.

President Director of PTDI Gita Amperiawan revealed this will be the first export order PTDI obtains in 2024.

Source @Jakepor21[b]

Fantastic!
But why the middleman (Allied Aeronatics Limited)?

A bat strike on an Oryx in the DRC.

akwesenana:
I'm not pro-Israel, but I seriously doubt if the judgement reduce the Jewish onslaught in any way.

One doesn't have to be pro or anti anything. This case is only tangentially related to the war in Gaza ("Jewish onslaught" is anti-semitic), but seeks to firm up various fundamentals:
1) Israel occupies the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem; is this legal or illegal
2) What does international law say about the responsibilities of occupying powers?; is Israel compliant or not
3) What remedies exist legally to resolve and put an end to the occupation;
4) How should the Security Council and UNGA give effect to measures towards ending the occupation.

Off-topic
The floodgates are opening and it's a beautiful thing.
Even though the Court's judgement on this particular case will be non-binding, it will serve to settle some legal questions, the absence of whose answers has been exploited by Zionist hasbara.
From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!

Faithful007:
If you reply me with those three faces one more time, I will respond with an insult.

It's alright. I knew all along that you sucked the assertions below out of thin air. I've had my fun, we can move on.

Faithful007:
They are not really the same kind of aircraft.

The Tucano is primarily an attack/CAS aircraft while the other one is more of a counter insurgency/ recon /loitering aircraft. The Tucano is much more powerful and is comparable to attack jets while the Bronco (or whatever its called) will be much more comparable to drones. By this, I bet its strength would lie in its range.

While they have a good level of overlap, they're not interchangeable.

Lurker4Long:
Care to include some references to back up your opinion? Like what makes Tucano attack/CAS oriented? How is Mwari/Bronco deficient in this role? How is Tucano more powerful? etc etc?
Substantiate your argument beyond mere assertions (as I used to tell 1st year students back at university when I was a student tutor).
US SOCOM put them up in the same competition, won by the Air Tractor and from which Tucano was knocked out early.
I rather think SOCOM knows its stuff.