South African defence and technology group Denel will showcase the range and quality of its leading projects at the IDEX 2015 in Abu Dhabi later this month.

Riaz Saloojee, the Group Chief Executive of Denel, the premier defence company in Africa, says IDEX is, without a doubt, the most important event to reach defence decision-makers and industry leaders in the Middle East and North African markets.

“We are delighted to be back in the United Arab Emirates and to have a strong presence at IDEX,” says Mr Saloojee. “The exhibition is a unique platform for the South African defence industry to strengthen relations with governments, armed forces and businesses in the region and to create awareness about our capabilities.”

Denel has a unique connection with the UAE through Tawazun Dynamics, its joint venture with Tawazun Holdings. The company has established the first facility in the Middle East for the development, manufacture and integration of precision-guided weapon systems.

Its flagship project is the Al Tariq, a family of strap-on bomb kit systems for the Mk80 family of bombs. Tawazun Dynamics has a contract to manufacture the Al Tariq for the UAE armed forces.

At IDEX Denel will also display some of the other missiles designed and manufactured by Denel Dynamics, the division in the state-owned group responsible for advanced systems technology in the missile and UAV environments.

The A-Darter is a fifth-generation air-to-air missile jointly developed with the Brazilian defence industry. Designed to meet the challenges of future air combat in a hostile electronic countermeasure environment the A-Darter recently passed critical in-flight guided tests and is being integrated into the Gripen fighter planes used by the SA Air Force.

Tsepo Monaheng, the CEO of Denel Dynamics says its battle-proven Ingwe missile system has been significantly improved with the introduction of a Portable Launch System. The beam-rider missile with a tandem warhead can now also be launched from light vehicles or a tripod – in addition to helicopters and fire-on-the-move land platforms. This makes the Ingwe highly effective in both conventional and urban conflict situations and to protect strategic bases and high-value installations.

Also on display at IDEX 2015 will be the air-to-ground Mokopa with a range of more than 10km and the Umkhonto surface-to-air missile in service with the South African Navy. The Umkhonto has successfully engaged targets at 20km during recent test firings observed by international experts at the Denel Overberg Test Range on the southern tip of Africa.

Denel’s Seeker 400 is a versatile unmanned aerial vehicle that brings enhanced situational awareness to tactical reconnaissance operations. The newly developed UAV builds on the successful technology utilised by Denel Dynamics for its Seeker 2 and Seeker 200 which have been operational in the UAE.

Mr Saloojee says Denel will also follow activities at NAVDEX which is held concurrently with IDEX 2015. The South African group recently established an Integrated Systems and Maritime division (DISM) and is looking at opportunities to grow its presence in the naval environment.

Ends

For further information, contact:

Pamela Malinda

Cell: +27 (0) 82 686 2198
Tel: +27 (0) 12 671 2970
email: pamm@denel.co.za

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