Ecuador inks Cheetah deal
Date: 30 June 2010
Ecuador is to buy nine Denel Cheetah C fighter aircraft for US$80 million, a report from the Latin American country says. Denel could not this morning confirm the deal but said it and Armscor had been listed as the preferred supplier of the single-seat fighters.
Spokeswoman Sinah Phochana said Ecuador had informed the company it was a "preferred supplier" and when Ecuador has completed some "internal processes" it would be asked to submit a request for proposal. News of the sale broke last September when the Engineering News reported the negotiations had been confirmed by Ecuadorian Defence Minister Javier Ponce. Ecuador has, in principle, decided to acquire the Cheetahs, but an actual purchase depended on the outcome of the financial negotiations, the ezine reported.
"Ecuador has budgeted an initial $35-million for this programme, but expects the total costs to be higher," the publication added. According to an Ecuadorian press report, representatives of Denel offered Cheetahs to Ecuador on August 26, while visiting the Ecuadorean Air Force's Cotopaxi Air Base.
The SAAF in 2003 operated 28 single-seat C-models and 10 two-seat D`s. By 2005 the total for both types was 29. About that number retired in early 2008 to free funds for the Saab Gripen C and D advanced light fighter aircraft. It is said about 26 of the upgraded Dassault Mirage III fighters remain available for resale along with several more airframes and spares.
Sales of surplus military-owned equipment is done through the Department of Defence's Armscor acquisition agency's defence materiel disposal division. Denel Aviation in October said the deal was for a combination of both the Cheetah C and D, "the number of each will be verified on completion of the deal."
Denel added the Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE) needed to replace obsolete supersonic aircraft - "as ... reported by the Ecuadorian daily, El Universo." The FAE currently operates a mixed fleet of 12 Dassault Mirage F1JE and one F1BJ fighters as well as 13 Israeli Kfir fighters of various marks, according to the International Institute of Strategic Studies' 2009 edition of the Military Balance.
Reports suggest the Cheetah will replace the F1 and serve alongside the Kfir. Then DenelAviation CE Ismail Dockrat said "Denel Aviation is highly encouraged by the recent developments" that follows a visit to South Africa by an FAE team in April this year to view a number of the aircraft.
"Denel Aviation was involved with the structured phase out of the Cheetah logistic support system within industry and witnessed the packaging of the systems and equipment for storage pending a possible sale. Denel Aviation was the prime contractor in the development of the Cheetah, a variant of the Mirage III, in the mid 1980`s and holds the design authority for, and the maintenance expertise on the Cheetah.
The SA offer included the supply of the aircraft as well as a complete five year maintenance and support package which may be renewable should further support be required. Complete maintenance and acceptance flight testing will be conducted in South Africa and in Ecuador once the deal is finalised.
Thirty-eight C-models, 16 D-models and 16 E-variants remanufactured from 1983 under SAAF projects Bark, Brahman, Carver, Cushion, Kiemvry, Recipient and Tunny. The Cheetah is essentially a remanufactured and upgraded Dassault Mirage III. South African airframes were used for the D and E range and Israeli Mirage III airframes for the C-model.
The first aircraft to be converted was a Mirage III D2Z (airframe number 845) from April 1983. It is not known publicly when its conversion was completed, but when the type was officially unveiled to the public on July 16, 1986, the type was already in service with 89 Combat Flying School, although it was only declared operational the next year. In order to bring the airframes back to "zero hours" flown, some 50% of components were replaced.
Non-moving canards were added just aft of the air intake, as were more hard points, a aerial refueling probe, a new ejection chair and the SNECMA 9K50 engine. Also fitted was a new main wingspar, a "drooping" leading edge and a dog-tooth incision on each main wing. Improvements were also made to the avionics, radar, electronic warfare and self-protection systems, including a modern pulse doppler radar. Ten aircraft were upgraded to fire the V4 (Denel R Darter) beyond visual range missile and two to drop laser-guided bombs.
Source: DefenceWeb
