The SAAF Forum

Rooivalk - Myth???. This is the best kept secret in SA, can anyone help me?.I am looking for some pics and information on this fine piece of equipment, I am a big fan of the rooivalk but can find little pictures etc about it??

Hi Scorpion,

You can go have a look at Airliners.net:

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/307682/L/
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/473838/L/
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/473839/L/
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/457761/L/
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/457272/L/

Or have a look here:

http://images.google.com/images?q=Rooiv ... a=N&tab=wi

As for information, have a look at this site:

http://www.army-technology.com/projects/rooivalk/

Hope this helps.

Yep, the Rooivalk is an awesome chopper. It has extremely low vibration levels, and for an 8-ton chopper, it is incredibly agile. So far as I can recall, the only performance area in which the Apache beats the Rooivalk is in the backwards climb. The Rooivalk is also reportedly far better in hot and dusty environments, which is only only expected I guess, considering it was for these environments that the Rooivalk was designed, whereas the Apache was really designed for the battlefields of Western Europe. Also, SA has tons of expertise in the field of dust filters, with the Rooivalk having particularly effective vortex-generating examples.

Jester, nice links, I love Airliners.net and Airforce/Army/Naval-technology.com.

BUT, you left out the best website of them all when it comes to the Rooivalk, the official one: http://www.fullhouse.co.za/rooivalk

It's got all the info you need, from performance to weapons to maintainability to visionics. It even has some nice images and rotatable images of the Rooivalk, but one of the coolest things the site has is a 360-degree image of each cockpit. That means you can use your mouse to pan around the entire cockpit, looking up, down, in front, behind, left, right, wherever. Very cool. You can even zoom in, though the quality naturally suffers.

Enjoy

Darren

Thanks Guys Helps allot

Speaking of Rooivalk, one flew over my house (Midrand) early yesterday morning bound for AFB WTK I would guess...

I'd give my eye-teeth to see one in person . I guess the next best thing, is getting that 1/72nd mutli media Rooivalk kit and having a miniature one on the shelf.

Best Regards,
Albert

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"Tfos otam babeyzim vetir'e keyzad hahavana mishtaberet"

I've been pretty lucky with Rooivalk sightings so far, aside from the various airshows.

The first was just before AAD2002, when five Rooivalks flew low in a vic formation over my house, presumably to AFB Waterkloof, though not sure why they took that route.

The next, and by far coolest, though not technically a sighting, was when I went into Denel's Rooivalk and A109LUH production line. I got to sit in the pilot's cockpit of one of them, and a technician showed me around the interior, which was awesome.

Aside from that, not too much. Rooivalks are rare over my part of Joburg, though two Rooivalks did fly low over my house about three weeks ago.


Darren

In regards to the paints used, is there a SAAF equivelent to the US Federal Standard B595 color code system? I have a SAAF Agusta A109 kit in my stash that is getting ready to hit the workbench, and it appears to have the same scheme as used on the Rooivalk (different pattern, of couse ). Having the color information would be quite handy.

TIA,
Albert

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"Tfos otam babeyzim vetir'e keyzad hahavana mishtaberet"

All Rooivalk Fans
There will be a Rooivalk Seminar tomorrow the 28 July 2004. I do not have all the info but if eny of you are intrested you can phone this number for more info. (+27)12 8081359.
Hope you come right with this.

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