SAAF needs new VIP transports

The South African Air Force needs a new "very important person" (VIP) fleet because of the age of the incumbent aircraft, but currently has no registered projects to do so-
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Sudáfrica paraliza su flota de helicópteros AW109/ South African grounds AW109 after crash

Sudáfrica ha decidido paralizar su flota de helicópteros Augusta AW109 tras ek accidente sufrifo el pasado Miércoles.
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South Africa has decided to ground its fleet of Augusta AW109 helicopters after one crash landed on Wednesday.
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Ecuador adquiere 12 Mirage "Cheetah" de Sudáfrica/ Ecuador signs for 12 ex-South African Cheetahs

Ecuador va a adquirir 12 Mirage "Cheetah C", retirados de la Fuerza Aérea de Sudáfrica.
Las negociaciones comenzaron en 2009, y oficiales de Ecuadro viajaron en Abril a Sudáfrica para inspeccionar las máquinas.
Ecuador se convertirá en el único operador de este modelo. Su Fuerza Aérea dispone actualmente de tres Mirage 50EV y 11 Mirage F1JA, junto a ocho IAI Kfir.
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Ecuador is to acquire 12 ex-South African Air Force Cheetah C fighters.
Formal negotiations with Ecuador commenced in 2009, and air force officials visited South Africa last April to inspect the stored aircraft and witness evaluation flights.
Ecuador will be the only operator of the Cheetah. Its air force currently flies three Mirage 50EV and 11 Mirage F1JA fighters, along with eight Israel Aerospace Industries Kfirs.
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Sudáfrica y Brasil en conversaciones para el desarrollo de un misil antiaéreo/ South Africa and Brazil talking on surface to air missile cooperation

Se están manteniendo negociaciones entre la Armada Brasileña y la compañia estatal sudafricana de armamento Denel Dynamics, sobre el desarrollo conjunto del misil SAM naval Umkhonto-R. Brasil impone dos condiciones para participar en el proyecto.
Debe existir acuerdo entre gobiernos, ya que el gobierno Sudafricano aún no ha aprobado el proyecto, y la segunda es que la Armada de Sudáfrica debe comprometerse a adquirir el Umkhonto-R.
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Talks are continuing between the Brazilian Navy and South Africa’s State-owned missile company, Denel Dynamics, about the joint development of the proposed Umkhonto-R medium-range radar-guided naval surface-to-air missile. The Brazilian Navy has, however, two conditions for participation in the project.
First, there must be an overarching government-to-government framework agreement, including mutual guarantees, to govern the programme.
It is believed that this still has to be agreed by the South African government. Second, the South African Navy (SAN) must commit itself to also buying the Umkhonto-R.
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Sudáfrica no paralizará vuelos de cazas Gripen por recortes/ Gripen won't be grounded

El ministro de Defensa sudafricano ha anunciado que buscará los fondos dentro de su quebrado presupuesto para mantener a los Gripen en Sudáfrica.
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The defence force will find the money within its shrunken budget to keep South Africa's fleet of Gripen fighter jets flying, Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said on Tuesday.
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El Rooivalk necesita inyección de fondos para ser operativo/ Denel needs further cash injection to make Rooivalk fully operational

El fabricante de armas de Sudáfrica, Denel, ha anunciado que necesita fondos adicionales para hacer que su helicóptero de ataque Rooivalk sea plenamente operativo.
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South Africa’s arms manufacturer Denel said the company needs a further cash injection in order to make the Rooivalk attack helicopter fully operational.
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ECUADOR COMPRARÁ AVIONES MIRAGE "CHEETAH" A SUDÁFRICA

Ecuador adquirirá un lote de nueve cazas de combate Cheetah C (Mirage modificado) a Sudáfrica y siete helicópteros pequeños para poder retirar del servicio los viejos Gazelle. La operación con Sudáfrica se ha negociado a través de la compañía sudafricana Denel Aviation que se encargaría de su puesta a punto.
Los cazas sudafricanos fueron reportenciados hace poco y poseen una aviónica, similar a los israelíes Kfir CE operativos en Ecuado
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SIGUEN LAS ENTREGAS DE GRIPEN A SUDÁFRICA/ The SAAF received a additional four new Gripen C fighter aircraft

Los nuevos Gripen llegaron a bordo del buque Achtergracht al puerto de Bay Harbour, desde Norrkoping, Suecia.
La Fuerza Aérea Sudafricana ya dispone de los nueve biplazas Gripen y los cuatro monoplazas recibidos se unirán a los dos recibidos en febrero. Serán utilizados para vigilancia del espacio aéreo durante la Copa Mundial de Fútbol 2010.
El peedido de Sudáfrica es por nueve monoplazas Gripen D y 17. El primero fue entregado en Abril de 200, y el total equipará el 2 Squadron en la base de AFB Makhado.
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Gripen arrived on board the cargo vessel Achtergracht. The four aircraft were offloaded in Table Bay Harbour. They had been loaded onboard the vessel at the port of Norrkoping in Sweden.
The single seat aircraft, serials 3912 to 3915, were then towed the 8km from the harbour to AFB Ysterplaat in two convoys of two aircraft each.
With all nine dual-seat Gripen D aircraft already delivered, these four aircraft will join the first two Gripen Cs that arrived on 11 February this year. The Gripen will play a key part in the air force's plans to safeguard the airspace above the stadiums during the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
The original order was for nine Gripen D dual-seat and 19 Gripen C single-seat aircraft. However, the order was revised in 2005 to nine dual-seat and seventeen single-seat aircraft. The first instrumented Gripen D was delivered in April 2008 and is based at the SAAF's Test flight and Development Centre near Bredasdorp in the southern Cape. The balance of the aircraft is assigned to 2 Squadron at AFB Makhado in the Limpopo province.
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South African Airways aumenta su flota con 5 Airbus 320

South African Airways ha encargado 5 aviones más del Airbus A320, aumentando su anterior compromiso de 15 a 20 aviones del mismo tipo. Los aviones se entregarán a partir de 2013.
South African Airways opera actualmente 11 A319, seis A340-200, seis A340-300 y nueve A340-600.
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EL C-295 CANDIDATO A FUTURO AVIÓN DE PATRULLA MARÍTIMA DE SUDÁFRICA/ Airbus plans to bid for another SAAF new aircraft requirement

EADS, ha confirmado su intención de presentarse a los próximos concursos a convocar por la fuerza aérea sudafricana, que son un nuevoa avión de patrulla marítima, y un avión de transporte medio, para los cuales EADS ofrecerá el C-295 en diferentes versiones.
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EADS, has confirmed that it intends to bid for the South African Air Force's (SAAF's) new maritime surveillance, maritime patrol and medium transport aircraft programmes, when they are officially launched.
For all three roles, the company will offer different versions of the same aircraft - the C-295.
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Airbus espera volver a negociar con Sudáfrica la venta de A400/ Airbus hopes re start talks with South Africa about A400M

Airbus espera retomar con Sudáfrica negociaciones sobre la posible venta de A400M cuando finalice la Copa del Mundo de fútbol. En una declaración Airbus ha dicho que comprende que Sudáfrica no pueda ocuparse del A400M en este momento.
Sudáfrica era miembro de pleno derecho del A400M con ocho aviones bajo pedido, participando Aerosud y Denel de Sudáfrica en la fabricación de algunos elementos.
A finales de 2009 Sudáfrica se retiró del programa. Airbus tiene que reasignar los trabajos encargados a Sudáfrica a otros países y por otra parte Sudáfrica todavía necesita un avión de transporte estratégico por lo que se podría llegar a un acuerdo.
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The Airbus group hopes that it and the South African government will be able to discuss the questions of the country's future military airlift and air-to-air refuelling requirements, and the A400M programme, during the second half of this year. Airbus has stated that understands that South Africa has a pressing issue with the World Cup, but we hope they will give attention to the airlifter issue after it is over
South Africa was a full partner in the A400M programme, with eight aircraft on order. As a result, South African companies Aerosud and Denel (now Denel Saab Aerostructures - DSA) were made responsible for the design, development and engineering, as well as for the manufacturing, of certain elements of the A400M.
But, late last year, South Africa cancelled its A400M order and withdrew from the programme. And so Airbus is now under pressure from the remaining partner governments to relocate the work assigned to South Africa to other countries. Already, DSA has lost smaller work packages, for the sword (main spar) and ribs for the vertical tail fin. And the South African Air Force still needs a new strategic transport and tanker aircraft.
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Israel y Turquía ofrecerán tanques a Colombia/Israel, Turkey Team to Offer Colombia Tanks

A pesar de diferencias diplomáticas, Israel y Turquía van a impulsar la exportación a terceros países, empezando por Colombia, de M60A1 modernizados.
La compañia turca(SSM) y IMI de Israel competirán juntas en el concurso colombiano, aprovechando el trabajo que se ha realizado conjuntamente, tras la entrega del último carro de combate M60 modernizado al ejército turco, de un total de 170. El trabajo se ha realizado conjuntamente entre ambas empresas, estando IMI centrada en la electrónica y sistemas de armas y la empresa turca en la producción.
La opción ofrecida es mucho mas económica que el Leopard, el M1 o el Merkava.
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Despite diplomatic differences that threaten the strategic ties between Israel and Turkey, defense and industry leaders from both nations are pushing third-country exports of the jointly refurbished M60A1 main battle tank, beginning with Colombia.
In interviews here and in Turkey, officials said a new joint venture between Turkey's procurement agency, the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, or Savunma Sanayi Mustesarligi (SSM), and state-owned Israel Military Industries (IMI) is competing for the South American country's estimated $250 million tank buy. IMI is the prime contractor for the jointly upgraded M60.
The defense ministries of the two countries approved the joint venture and requisite licensing issues at the height of tensions between the Islamist government of Turkish Prime Minister Recip Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rightist coalition government over Israel's early 2009 war in Gaza and disputes over Gaza, Iran and Syria.
The joint venture between IMI and Turkey's Aselsan aims for a 50-50 work share based on Israeli electronics, subsystems and weaponry, with the bulk of production and assembly work to take place in Turkey and later under licensed production in customer countries.
Both countries last week marked the final delivery of the 170th tank produced under the joint, $687.5 million upgrade program, launched in 2002.
In an April 7 statement, Israel's MoD said it lent its full support to the eight-year effort, which involved considerable technology transfers and military-to-military sharing of operational, training and logistics concepts.
Israel and Turkey are bidding for the Colombia program, offering what he described as "an advanced, extremely cost-effective front-line main battle tank … in terms of firepower, survivability, maneuverability as well as unit and life-cycle costs."
When pressed, Felder estimated that the Israeli-Turkish offer would cost about half that of a new tank such as the U.S. MIA2 Abrams, Germany's Leopard and even Israel's own Merkava Mk4.
Defense analysts think Turkish-Israeli-upgrade M60s arethe best of the upgraded tanks in the world.
Upgrades include a 120mm cannon and fire-control system, advanced suspension, new hybrid armor and a 1,000-horsepower propulsion system developed by Germany's MTU.
A decision on the Colombia acquisition program is not likely until later this year or early next year, and is likely to include work-sharing and offset agreements, sources here said.

SUDAFRICA NO TIENE PRESUPUESTO PARA MANTENER GRIPEN EN VUELO/SOUTH AFRICA HAS NO MONEY TO KEEP GRIPEN AIRBORNE

Los Gripen y gran parte de los buques de la Marina sudafricana permanecerán gran parte de los próximos tres años en tierra y amarrados a puerto debido a la escasez de presupuesto para su operación. Según el ministerio de defensa ha indicado al parlamneto el presupuesto actual permite:
Los Gripen volarán 550 horas en 2010 y 250 horas en cada uno de los dos años siguientes.
La armada podrá navegar 10.000 horas en 2010, 9.000 en 2012 y 9.000 en 2013.
Sudáfrica dispone de 11 Gripens y las 550 horas de vuelo disponibles, no llegan ni a la mitad de los estándares requeridos por la OTAN. La mayoría de los vuelos se realizarán durante la Copa del Mundo de 2010. En los años siguientes la situación empeorará, ya que los 26 Gripen estarán entregados y podrán volar solo 9,6 horas anuales.
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Gripen fighter jets, frigates and submarines will mainly be on the ground and in port over the next three years, because there's no money to operate them. According to the plan for the next three years, submitted to Parliament on Wednesday, budget allows:
Gripens will spend 550 hours in flight in the current financial year, and 250 flight hours per year for the next two years.
That the navy's 18 ships will have 10 000 hours at sea in 2011-2012 and 9 000 hours at sea per year in 2012 and 2013.
South Afrcica has 11 Gripens and 550 flight hours available this year, a half of the hours required to comply with Nato standards. Most of these hours will be used during the 2010 World Cup. In the following years, once all 26 Gripens have been delivered, they'll spend an average of 9.6 hours in flight per year.
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