South African defence equipment and aircraft manufacturer Denel Aviation has revealed plans to extend its operations across Africa
Denel CEO Mike Kgobe said, “We are taking our highly-skilled pilots and engineers as well as our state-of-the-art technology to our clients across Africa, cutting the costs and efforts to fly the planes out to South Africa for testing.”
Kgobe explained that specialised test flying was previously only conducted in South Africa, but now the company has announced plans to take the skills and experience of its pilots and flight test engineers to clients across Africa.
Kgobe noted, “The test pilots and flight test engineers have the responsibility to ensure that every aircraft that leaves the company’s facilities following maintenance or repair work is in top shape and ready for full flying duties.”
Denel has plans to use its mobile telemetry support vehicle to support flight tests at remote locations. The company will also expand its maintenance and repair services to the rapidly growing number of military and civilian aircraft operating across the continent.
“We are playing an increasingly important role to support defence forces and the commercial aviation industry in Africa through flight testing and top-quality maintenance of their fleets,” Kgobe commented.
Derick Matthee, the manager of Denel’s flight test centre, added, "This is highly specialised flying. Only the best and most experienced pilots are entrusted with these unique, and often dangerous, responsibilities."
