Operational Rooivalk finally delivered to SAAF

The South African Air Force (SAAF) has accepted its upgraded Rooivalk combat support helicopter for operational duties after a drawn-out upgrade programme.

On 4 April a statement from the South African Department of Defence said the handover of the Denel Aviation-manufactured aircraft at the company’s campus in Kempton Park, South Africa, followed ‘a rigorous testing and evaluation programme by the SAAF’.

The first five helicopters will be operational with the force’s 16 Squadron, based in Bloemfontein, with the remaining six to be completed later in the year.

The first AH-2A Rooivalk modified to Block 1F standard was delivered back to the SAAF in September 2010. Talib Sadik, CEO of Denel, said the upgraded aircraft was then tested at the SAAF’s test flight and development centre.

‘The evaluation included day and night flight operations, target identification and tracking, cannon firing and evaluation of the secure communications modes and self-protection features,’ the statement said.

Other evaluation included testing on the upgraded Mokopa anti-armour guided missile, live firing of the missile, and on the additional new external fuel tanks.

Designed as a tank killer in 1984 the prototype of the aircraft made its maiden flight in 1990, and 12 helicopters were delivered between 1999 and 2004 to the squadron, although they were not declared operational.

In 2006 one Rooivalk suffered a gearbox failure resulting in the aircraft being deemed unusable, and the fleet left standing at 11.

While Denel redelivered six aircraft with the gearbox driveshaft problem solved in November 2009, in the same month the company was ordered to terminate any ‘at company risk’ work, which included engineering support for the operational squadron. Essentially, this grounded the SAAF’s Rooivalks, casting a long shadow over the future of the type.

As a result of the gearbox failure, this latest upgrade programme included significant remanufacturing of certain gearbox mounting components, according to the statement.

‘Rooivalk is now a modern, sophisticated, combat support helicopter, ready to be used by the SANDF in any of its potential deployed operations,’ Sadik said.