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Denel to announce Russian partnership at Summit
March 19, 2013, 8:57 pm

The partnership will be announced at the BRICS Summit in Durban March 26 [AP]

The partnership will be announced at the BRICS Summit in Durban March 26 [AP]

Denel Aviation, the aircraft maintenance division of the largest manufacturer of defence equipment in South Africa, is expected to make a “significant announcement” during the Fifth Annual BRICS Summit in Durban next week.

The announcement will focus on a Russian partnership for the maintenance and repair of helicopters‚ Denel’s chief executive, Riaz Saloojee‚ said on Tuesday.

The Department of Defence and Military Veterans will host a defence industry exhibition and a conference on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.

Last year manufacturer Russian Helicopters signed an agreement with Denel Aviation which made it the only company in sub-Saharan Africa accredited to perform maintenance‚ repair and overhaul services for the Russian manufacturer’s helicopters. At the time it said it had 280 helicopters in service across Africa.

The pending new deal with the Russians is one of several in the pipeline‚ which Saloojee assured MPs would put the historically troubled arms manufacturer on the road to financial sustainability.

A decision as to whether the South African National Defence Force would order infantry combat vehicles from Denel was in the final stage; Saloojee said a formal announcement on the outcome would be made within weeks.

By Claude Colart for The BRICS Post