Cheetah fighter jets - denel.co.za
Draken International to buy surplus South
African fighters
By Richard
Tomkins | Dec. 12, 2017 at 1:15 PM
Dec. 12 (UPI) -- South Africa's state-owned defense
company, Denel SOC Ltd., is selling 12 surplus Cheetah fighter jets to Draken
International, a U.S.-based tactical fighter training company.
The sales contract, announced Tuesday by Denel, includes
return to service and flight acceptance tests in South Africa and aircraft
delivery to the United States. The company is also pursuing post-delivery
logistics support for the duration of aircraft operations.
Draken International will use the planes for air support,
fighter pilot training and tactical exercises for air forces around the world.
Draken said its sale includes nine South African-designed
Cheetah C jets and three dual-seat Cheetah D aircraft. The supersonic planes
have operational ranges of more than 800 miles. The Cheetah fighters were
designed in the 1980s and retired from service when South Africa acquired
Saab's Gripen fighter jets.
Denel said engine maintenance work for the aircraft will
be handled by Turbomeca Africa, in which Denel has bought a controlling stake
and is re-integrating into their business.
Original post: upi.com
Cheetah Multirole Fighter Aircraft
The single-seat multirole fighter aircraft, the Atlas
Cheetah, was manufactured by Denel Aviation Systems (formerly Atlas Aircraft
Corporation) in South Africa. It was derived from the Dassault Mirage III aircraft.
The South African Air Force (SAAF) had been operating the
Cheetah since 1986. In 2008, the cheetah series (a dual-seat Cheetah D,
single-seat Cheetah E and C) was retired from SAAF’s service and replaced by 26
Saab JAS 39 Gripens (17C/9D). Source airforce-technology.com
wikiwand.com
wikiwand.com
Draken wibsite: drakenintl.com
No comments:
Post a Comment