Lurker4Long's Posts
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lionel4power:Louder, for the kids at the back! |
Odunayaw:Hiya bro? Haven't seen you around here lately. |
davefurn:Playing along, yes, yes. And after repeating what's reported in our Parliament and media, then what? What's with the obsession with SA? |
Nemesis4you:Giving me Paramount Mwari vibes. |
GreenandGold:Don't lower yourself to his level! |
GreenandGold:I have a theory that some of these guys encounter Saffer xenophobes elsewhere on social media and bring that rubbish here. A few times I've seen references to things NOT said by any of us here, and after searching, find out it's some social media contretemps. |
GreenandGold:Imagine, with all the problems in his country, he goes around pointing out others'. With SA permanently living rent-free in that pea-sized brain, can't be much space for anything else. |
STD strikes again! ![]() |
jl115:I'm happy with how they run Cape Town, but on principle held my nose and voted for the biggest opposition in the council, which is ANC. No party should ever receive more than 55% ever again. And with the DA at 67% in Cape Town, the arrogance of power has started creeping in. As for our ward councillor, we were not impressed and because many DA higher-ups live in the neighbourhood, it was made very clear to them that if he was the nominee, the Ratepayers Assoc would put up an independent candidate who would win. They transferred him to Parliament and we got a better candidate for whom I could vote. |
jl115:It's amazing how under-reported it was that the ANC's own poll put them at 37%. With coalition governments becoming the norm, we must amend the law to introduce things like minimum thresholds (5%) to formally participate in forming a govt. The chaos at municipal level, where a party with 0.86% of votes now has the mayoralty of Joburg, cannot be countenanced at provincial and national levels. |
jl115:In provincial and national elections, I always vote strategically for the largest opposition party regardless who they are nor their policies; unfettered power is never a good thing. In local elections it always depends on the candidates. |
Covert1:Nothing stops you from posting Augustine. |
A novice reporter at The Economist once asked his supervisor how to write with the publication's "voice". The reply: "Write as if you're god!" That conceit lives on, with their condescending ranking of democracies from authoritarian to full.
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GreenandGold:Hmmm...something fishy here. The fact that they're only looking for this chopper suggests a supplier has already been identified. Second, speaking under correction but I think all of the decommissioned SAPS Bo-105s were acquired by Paramount? Third, Paramount is doing extensive work in the Philippines. Lastly, Paramount has some form when it comes to dodgy contracts. |
GreenandGold:God! the rest of the country has to follow our lead in the Cape and kick out the ANC bums next year! |
GreenandGold:We'll need to dramatically increase our roll-out of transmission lines. To utilise all the wind and solar plants currently under build in the Northern Cape, we need to be adding 2000km of new transmission lines per year, instead of the current 300km. |
GreenandGold: Was this you? I always thought it was Patches. |
GreenandGold:Our friends here missed an opportunity for some ribbing, to get us back with a Badger version of this Patches production. ![]()
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GreenandGold:What's the fleet we don't need? SAPS? They have more pilots than aircraft, mate. Unless you're saying they should standardise and replace the other 9 choppers with the H125? The SAPS Air Wing now operates 14 AS350/H125, six R-44 Raven II, two MD500 and one BK 117 helicopters. Fixed wing aircraft include eight PC-6 Turbo Porters (the ninth was destroyed in a crash in August 2022), a PC-12, one King Air C90 and one Citation Sovereign jet. Half the fleet is based in Gauteng, with the remainder scattered throughout the country.https://www.defenceweb.co.za/aerospace/aerospace-aerospace/saps-gets-new-helicopter/
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A School of Armour Museum Buffel was once mis-labelled on this thread as an SA Army APC. ![]() So, to avoid a repeat, this perfectly preserved ambulance belongs to the SA Military Health Service Museum! ![]()
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GreenandGold:But these are commercial arrangements freely entered into by 2 parties. |
GreenandGold:The Indian Army's Dhruv helicopters' self-protection system is the Integrated Defensive Aid Suite 2 (IDAS-2), manufactured in Centurion by Saab Grintek Defence. That's just 1 example. Look at NCACC reports of SA defence exports and you'll see India features highly as a buyer of our electronics, EW and other high tech items. The bad taste in your mouth may be because of past unpleasantness because of certain anti-materiel rifles, but we've all moved on. |
Paramount to produce composite rotor blades in India with Bharat Forge Paramount, already manufacturing armoured vehicles in India under a joint venture with Bharat Forge Limited, has now announced that it is partnering with the company to develop and manufacture composite helicopter rotor blades as well as mission systems and stores management systems for medium helicopters in India. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Paramount and Bharat Forge was announced during the Aero India exhibition in Bengaluru earlier this month. The MoU was signed by Guru Biswal, chief executive officer of the aerospace division of Bharat Forge in the presence of senior officials from both companies. Biswal said, “this MoU with Paramount is a testimony of our commitment to work for an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, to create technologies that is niche and shall support Indian and Global requirements. This collaboration will focus on creating the ‘Centre of Excellence’ for design, development and manufacture of composite rotor blades for rotary wing platforms, in India. This design and manufacturing hub shall support all future programmes for both India and across the globe.” Steve Griessel, Global CEO of Paramount said: “Our global partnership with Bharat Forge Limited has grown from strength to strength over the last few years. We are excited to expand our collaboration into the aerospace sector. We have confidence that this initiative will leverage the unique synergies of our joint capabilities to meet the rotor blades requirement for medium lift helicopters in India and across the globe. “Facilities will be established as centres of excellence for the development and industrialisation of rotor blades for all helicopter categories. Our collaboration would present a unique opportunity for all parties to speed up qualification processes and jointly support national and international customers.” Paramount Aerospace Systems offers composite rotor blades for Mi-17/24 series helicopters. Although the production of the composite blades is more expensive than metal blades, the operational life (five to eight times that of metal) makes the overall cost of operation substantially cheaper, Paramount said. Individual blades can be replaced rather than the whole set. Paramount acquired the composite rotor capability from Advanced Technologies and Engineering (ATE), which became Paramount Advanced Technologies, which opened its composite rotor blade facility in Midrand in October 2006. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine a year ago, India has been struggling to obtain spare parts from Russia – the Indian military operates a large amount of Russian equipment, including Mi-17 helicopters. Also in February, Paramount Aerospace Systems inked a strategic partnership with AAL Group in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the marketing of Mi-type helicopter solutions and the production of Mil main and tail rotor composite helicopter blades. Paramount has a growing presence in India with the production of its Mbombe 4 armoured vehicle as the Kalyani M4 through a joint venture with the Kalyani Group, which owns Bharat Forge. The first Kalyani M4s were inducted into Indian Army service in April 2022. They have also been used for United Nations peacekeeping missions, with an initial 16 vehicles handed over last year for these missions. https://www.defenceweb.co.za/featured/paramount-to-produce-composite-rotor-blades-in-india-with-bharat-forge/
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Hensoldt South Africa’s presence at IDEX 2023 highlights importance of Middle Eastern market Hensoldt South Africa is presenting an extensive portfolio of products at the IDEX 2023 exhibition in Abu Dhabi as it continues to focus on the strategic Middle Eastern market. More than 60 000 visitors are expected at the 30th edition of IDEX, which runs from 20 to 24 February and is the largest defence and security exhibition in the region. Hensoldt South Africa said that while it exports its solutions to more than 45 countries across the world, the Middle East is considered a strategic market for South Africa, especially in the defence and security sector. As such, Hensoldt is participating in IDEX alongside over a dozen other South African companies that operate in the defence industry. On the airborne solutions side, Hensoldt South Africa is showcasing its new lightweight ARGOS-8 compact electro-optical system, and ASTUS unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Based on the international sales success of the ARGOS-II and with a view of entering the smaller and lighter unmanned aerial vehicle market, the ARGOS-8 was launched at Africa Aerospace and Defence in 2022. The ARGOS-8 (with an 8-inch gimbal), weighs 6 kg and is equipped with laser designator and range-finder capability. “ARGOS-8 is not only offered as a stand-alone EOS (electro-optical system) but is also integrated onto the ASTUS unmanned aerial system, with production deliveries scheduled for 2023,” said Deon Olivier, Chief Executive of Hensoldt South Africa Optronics. As part of its land-based electronic warfare (EW) and spectrum dominance business, Hensoldt South Africa is showcasing its newest radar electronic support system, the GEW RES9000. The RES9000 is part of the company’s extensive tactical electronic warfare portfolio, where collected information on surface-based and airborne radars can now be fused with intercepted electronic communications information, providing a collated and concise overview of the electronic order-of-battle (EOB). Recently introduced to counter what Hensoldt says are the new and emerging signals that have reshaped the electronic battlefield, the GEW GRJ series of high-performance communications electronic attack (jamming) solutions are also being featured at IDEX. “Unrivalled in its ability to suppress modern HF, V/UHF and SHF communications, the GRJ jammers feature the most advanced signal attack methods on the market,” said Christo Fouché, Chief Executive Sales and Marketing of Hensoldt SA’s spectrum dominance business. Launched for naval applications in 2021 and for land deployment in 2022, Quadome is a dual-mode, multi-mission surveillance radar for air- and surface-surveillance. “Quadome is designed to maximise system performance with the latest technology, while minimising acquisition and life-cycle costs,” said Bennie Langenhoven, Chief Executive of Hensoldt SA Radar. “Hensoldt South Africa builds on a strong relationship of almost two decades with customers in the Middle East. Major deliveries spanning two decades resulted in the establishment of various in-country commercial and support offices across the region, providing a platform for Hensoldt SA to expand in the region as a reputable partner for defence and security solutions,” the company said. “Hensoldt SA has put into service numerous signal intelligence and electronic warfare solutions for defence customers throughout the region and is notably a strategic partner to the Saudi Arabian telecommunications regulatory authority since 2019 for the implementation of nationwide spectrum management and monitoring solutions. Hensoldt SA has also collaborated with key partners on the delivery of airborne electro-optical systems in Saudi Arabia since 2016, and going forward, Hensoldt’s local presence will serve as a vehicle towards future partnerships on these technologies.” “As the Middle East is rapidly advancing its self-reliance, localisation and technological readiness across its defence industry, Hensoldt South Africa welcomes the opportunity to further grow in this key market, while supporting the long-term vision of the country in which it operates,” said Rynier van der Watt, Managing Director of Hensoldt South Africa.
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Strong presence at IDEX for rapidly growing Milkor As part of the 15th iteration of the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) held bi-annually in Abu Dhabi, Milkor UAE has been showcasing its complete range of capabilities, along with some new locally developed systems. Milkor UAE was established three years ago and is dedicated to supporting local industry while promoting local development of new defence and naval systems. Milkor UAE CEO Julian Coetzee said his focus is on using the existing technologies developed by the Milkor group to support local entities in the region, while continuing to develop new technologies. “We have been participating at IDEX and NAVDEX for the past few years now and I would say that this year’s event is definitely one of the biggest I have seen. This year for us has been extremely important to showcase our local capabilities. Since we’ve started in 2020, we have opened up three manufacturing facilities for various products. We have been very fortunate to receive a lot of industry support both from the ministry of defence and other local entities,” Coetzee said. At both IDEX and NAVDEX (Naval Defence Exhibition and Conference) Milkor has displayed its complete range of systems during the 20-24 February event in Abu Dhabi. Dominating the company’s stand is the Milkor UCAV, a medium-altitude, long endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with an endurance of up to 30 hours and a payload capacity of 210 kg. At IDEX it was fitted with UAE-manufactured Desert Sting-25 guided munitions. Since the previous edition of IDEX, Milkor has been hard at work developing a completely locally developed and manufactured surveillance and reconnaissance vessel, the Milkor IPC (Inshore Patrol Craft), and this was on display at NAVDEX. Capable of up to five days endurance and a top speed of up to 50 knots, this vessel is capable of high-speed interception and continued surveillance operations, Milkor said. “We have several products on display, both at IDEX and NAVDEX. We have decided to showcase all of our products in real form, which include the Milkor UCAV, the Milkor 4X4 as well as our weapon systems. The newest iteration of the Milkor UAE patrol vessel, the Milkor IPC, has been completely designed, developed and manufactured in Abu Dhabi and we are very proud to be able to display our capabilities to the delegations and visitors at this event. This year’s event has been extremely successful, and we are looking forward to the next iteration of this event,” Coetzee said. Milkor has continued to increase its global presence with offices in UAE, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. The company will be showcasing its technologies at the Live Firing Show in Poland, during April 2023, and Defence and Security Expo in Thailand, during November of this year.
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Results of all the African teams at the 2023 Dubai SWAT Challenge. https://swat.dubaipolice.gov.ae/swat/home/finalStandings?day=final&year=2023
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GreenandGold, everybody suddenly remembered they know someone who lives in Green Point! ![]()
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Paramount Partners with AAL Group to market Mi-Type Helicopter Solutions, Establish Production and Global Distribution Center for Mi-Type Helicopter Blades Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), 22nd February 2023– Paramount Aerospace Systems, subsidiary to Paramount, the global aerospace and technology company, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with AAL Group Ltd for the marketing of Mi-type helicopter solutions production of Mi main and tail rotor composite helicopter blades, from facilities within the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In a joint statement, Paramount and the AAL Group announced that they will collaborate to service and upgrade fleets of helicopters across Africa, as well as the production of interchangeable composite rotary wing blades to meet the increasing demand from partner countries across the continent. Established in 2000, AAL Group Ltd. is a leading international aviation organization headquartered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), providing a full range of services and support for Mi-type rotary-wing aircraft. The company offers integrated and efficient solutions for its customers around the world to support the operational readiness of their helicopter fleets. AAL Group Ltd. CEO, Olga Martyshchenko, stated that, “We strive to be the leader in the rotary-wing industry, placing our global customers’ needs at the core of our business. In realising our vision, we recognise that there is always more that can be done and that the demands of our customers are evolutionary. In Paramount, we have found a partner committed to EMEA defence industrialisation, with an acute understanding of the asymmetrical challenges faced by governments across Africa. We look forward to continued and shared growth on the heels of this landmark announcement”. The companies’ production resources will be situated within a newly established facility located on a plot of land directly connected to the airside. Paramount has established an extensive composite blade design and development capability for Mi-type helicopters. The composite blades offer a clear advantage over metal blades. Paramount Global CEO, Steve Griessel, stated: “Paramount’s composite main rotor blade development started in 2006, in response to a customer requirement. The composite blades were designed to provide the same functional and performance capability, including shape, size and weight as the metal blades, enabling installation without any recertification of the helicopter platform elements, limiting certification only to the composite blades. This substantially reduces the development and qualification process and does not affect any other major or structural parts.” The composite blades have a significantly increased operational life, at least five to eight times more than the metal blades but also allowing individual blades to be replaced in the event of damage rather than the whole set. In the event of damaged blade or a set can be easily repaired at location and returned to service in a short period of time. Although the production of the composite blades is more expensive than metal blades, the operational life makes the overall cost of operation substantially cheaper. With the current challenges in supplies and deliveries of the main rotor blades, Customers are unable to maintain their fleets and continue providing the necessary security and defence support to ensure their sovereignty. Composite blades production can be ramped up to provide a source for continued operations and offer Customers longer usage life while reducing dependence on the challenging supplies network. . Griessel added: “We are privileged to increase upon our footprint in the United Arab Emirates in partnership with AAL, and view this announcement as a major step in expanding the versatility and application of our pioneering portable production model. In tandem with organisations such as AAL, we look to create a truly global network of portable production factories and in doing so, embolden the economic trajectories of our partners in Africa, in the Middle East and around the world”. The milestone partnership announcement was made on the backdrop of the biennial International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX) 2023 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, renowned as one of the most important tri-service defence exhibitions in the world, host to 130,000 visitors, and 1,350 exhibitors from over 65 countries. https://www.paramountgroup.com/media/news/paramount-partners-with-aal-group-to-market-mi-type-helicopter-solutions-establish-production-and-global-distribution-center-for-mi-type-helicopter-blades/
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Resurgent interest in Saab Grintek Defence naval sensors The war in Ukraine as well as consistent marketing efforts are seeing surging interest in naval sensor products at Saab Grintek Defence, which has just launched a new laser warning receiver. Gavin Copeland, Business Development Executive: Naval EW at Saab Grintek Defence (SGD) told defenceWeb that the naval side of the business has been growing very strongly over the last few years, partly as a result of intense marketing efforts, and partly as a result of the war in Ukraine, which has generated “a significant increase in queries and RFPs.” Until the Ukraine conflict there was a need for new naval EW systems, but an unwillingness to spend money, Copeland said, but following Russia’s invasion, heightened demand is being seen across Saab’s air, land and sea products. SGD has naval customers all over the world, including in Latin America, the Asia-Pacific, NATO, and North Africa. Four NATO countries, including Finland, use surface and subsurface products. “We’ve had some pretty good successes,” Copeland said, “and have a very good pipeline based on the work we’ve done”. A lot of business comes from word of mouth, with satisfied customers sharing their experiences with others. New Zealand is one of SGD’s naval users and the company hopes that it will spread across the channel to Australia. SGD has built its naval business tremendously over the last quarter of a century, and for a small company of 25 people working on the naval side in Cape Town, “it’s a fairly good achievement, especially being a South African company. All our products are designed and produced in South Africa,” Copeland said, and are as ITAR-free as possible. Being ITAR-free and based in South Africa also means SGD can operate across the whole world, and selling defensive rather than offensive systems makes exports easier. One of SGD’s key naval products is its Naval Laser Warning System (NLWS), which can be either a standalone system or fully integrated into a vessel’s combat system. It includes a laser waring system for surface vessels and a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) blue-green laser sensor for sub-surface applications. Sensors are placed around a vessel to ensure adequate coverage, with the number of sensors determined by the size of the vessel. The system, which interfaces with the vessel’s combat management system and electronic support measures (ESM), can provide the bearing, laser classification and identification information required to deploy the necessary countermeasures. The NLWS features the NLWS 310 laser warning system, which in LWS 310 guise is also used in Saab’s IDAS defensive aids suite for aircraft, and operates across the .5-1.7 nm wavelength to provide threat classification and direction of arrival for laser rangefinders, designators and missile guidance lasers. The LWS series has gone through several versions, namely Mk I, II, and III, with a new high accuracy sensor launched at this week’s IDEX exhibition. The new LWS 700 allows for the automated detection, classification, and identification of laser-based weapons. Under development for the last three-and-a-half years, it is capable of classifying and identifying laser threats such as target designators or laser rangefinders. With a 1° bearing and elevation accuracy, the sensor is able to support countermeasures, specifically the deployment of hard-kill counter fires. This is a much-improved version of the LWS 310 and offers a bearing accuracy of 7.5°. A North American based platform OEM (original equipment manufacturer) has already acquired several units. Copeland emphasised that the older laser warning sensors will not necessarily be redundant, as they will be more cost effective and fit into a specific market segment. SGD’s NLWS is in service with five nations(55 systems), including with the United Arab Emirates Navy (Baynunah class corvettes), German Navy, and South African Navy. For German frigates, Saab’s radar ESM and laser warning systems are used in combination with Rheinmetall’s Multi Ammunition Softkill System (MASS) decoy system, which guards against both radar and laser-guided threats. SGD’s other flagship naval product is its naval radar warning/electronic support measures (ESM) system, which has been integrated onto Greek, Portuguese, and South Korean submarines, amongst others – fifteen solutions are in service with three NATO navies. This forms part of the company’s electronic support measures (ESM) and electronic intelligence (ELINT) solutions for surface vessels and submarines, providing rapid detection, classification and identification of emissions. The ESM and ELINT range comprises the SME-50 ESM receiver, SME-150 ESM system with ELINT functionality, and SME-250 ESM receiver with digital ELINT receiver – the latter covers the .5-18 GHz range while the SME-50 and SME-150 cover the 2-18 GHz range. The SME designation is used for surface vessels and UME for subsurface vessels. These systems can be integrated with the NLWS, MASS or other decoy systems, active ECM systems, and Saab CRS-8000 communications ESM system (Saab Sensor Systems Germany offers the CRS series of naval communications intelligence [COMINT] and communications ESM [C-ESM] solutions). SGD’s maritime business evolved from its involvement in the South African Navy’s submarine projects, with the company providing electronic warfare solutions for the submarines as well as frigates. “The submarine contract put us on the map today in terms of a radar/ESM perspective. At the time, there were very few companies that made submarine electronic warfare systems, especially for direction finding etc.” Copeland explained. Almost all product development is internally funded – “gone are the days where we can rely on Armscor and Institute for Maritime Technology funding. The last time we got R& funding was in the 2000s,” he told defenceWeb.SGD’s naval products are somewhat unique in that they are used in air, land and sea applications as they share common building blocks, although the naval business is smaller than the airborne side. Saab Grintek Defence has for many years manufactured laser warning and missile approach warning sensors, with previous generations being the LWS-310 and MAW 300 respectively. The company recently launched its next generation MAW 400 and LWS-330 for airborne platforms, now in production, with a European customer the first to take these new products. In addition, Saab Grintek Defence is producing a LEDS 50 MK 4 sensor, which is a 1-degree sensor for land applications. (Land Electronic Defence Systems, or LEDS, is an integrated, modular, active protection system consisting of laser warning sensors, an active defence controller, human-machine-interface and an effector control segment that can launch smoke or cue jammers). Saab’s laser and missile approach warning systems form part of its integrated defensive aids suite (IDAS) for helicopters, transport aircraft and combat aircraft. IDAS warns against radar, laser and infrared guided threats and automatically deploys appropriate countermeasures such as chaff and flares. IDAS is operational on 30+ aircraft types in more than 15 countries. https://www.defenceweb.co.za/featured/resurgent-interest-in-saab-grintek-defence-naval-sensors/
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NTSA:Any pics of your other 2 teams? |
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