The South African defence industry can provide 70% of the logistical requirements to support the Special Operations Force (SOF) envisaged in the 2015 Defence Review, says Sandile Ndlovu, CEO of the South African Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries (AMD) association, but 30% still needs to be sourced from foreign defence OEMs (original equipment manufacturers).
Delivering the keynote address on the second day of the inaugural AAD 2024 Conference, focusing on the South African defence industry, Ndlovu said the industry comprised more than 600 companies employing 20 000 people, capable of Level 1 (components systems) to Level 5 (product system) production of equipment and materiel across land, sea, air, cyber and space theatres of war.
Currently the industry exports artillery systems, armoured personnel carriers, sensors, munitions, electronic warfare systems, missiles, UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) services to more than 35 countries in Africa, as well as the European Union, the Middle East and North and South America. The industry also enjoys substantial foreign investment from defence OEMs like Thales, Saab, Rheinmetall, Hensoldt, Damen, Aselsan, Embraer, Airbus and Safran.
The Special Operating Force described in the Defence Review needs to be capable of connecting forces for rapid reaction, be air-lifted, enjoy close air support and be able to be sea landed. It must also be able to perform Exclusive Economic Zone patrols with concomitant firepower, as well as have high mobility infantry with enhanced firepower, manoeuvre and protection as well as an enhanced military health capability.
Currently, the country has diffused supplier bases across all segments, ensuring that there is no risk to any project should one or other smaller supplier or partner fail, Ndlovu said.
In C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers [C4] Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance [ISR]|), South Africa has 14 level 4/5 suppliers and 89 level 3 supply partners, while in the landward segment, there are currently 25 level 4/5 armoured vehicle suppliers and 27 firepower and support suppliers with 84 level 3 armour vehicle partners and 59 level 3 fire power and support partners.
In aviation there are 44 level 4/5 suppliers, and at level 3, 85 partners. The maritime sector has 13 level 4/5 vessel suppliers and 93 level 3 partners across the deep water vessel and mission systems and littoral vessel and mission system segments. Health, broken into field hospitals and ambulance solutions, has 9 level 4/5 providers and 160 level 3 partners.
Some of these companies were proactive, developing solutions for the South African defence sector at their own cost, on spec, such as OTT’s Ratel SLEP project, which completely overhauls the venerable indigenously designed and developed Border War era infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) from the drive train up.
“This innovation has extended the life of the Ratel by another 30 years, at a drastically reduced cost,” Ndlovu said. The price of one of the much-delayed Project Hoefyster’s Badger vehicles could pay for the upgrading of five Ratel IFVs.
Another example was DCD Springbuck armoured vehicle, which Ndlovu said has been widely exported.
Armormax’s TAC-6 vehicle family – based on the Toyota Land Cruiser – is another example of South African defence ingenuity, creating vehicle solutions specifically for the African defence market that are simultaneously affordable, easy to maintain and yet technologically advanced.
Ndlovu also singled out Paramount’s development of the Mwari, the uniquely South African advanced high performance reconnaissance light aircraft with its interchangeable mission pods and the Rooivalk as further examples of South African ingenuity in the aviation space, while the importance of the N-Raven precision strike ammunition had come into even sharper relief following the global lessons from Ukraine and Gaza.
One of the key attributes of the South African defence industry, he said, was the fact that 75% of what was designed and made in the country is dual use, fit equally for the battlefield or for humanitarian missions and disaster relief.
The problem, however, that – with the exception of Denel – the balance of the industry is private and because of that new methods have to be found to encourage private public partnerships to ensure that the industry be paid for the work they do and that the South African National Defence Force’s (SANDF’s) prime mission equipment gets maintained – like the South African Air Force’s (SAAF’s) Rooivalk attack helicopters currently deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Another issue was for the SANDF to follow international practice and become ambassadors for the local equipment that is made locally but exported to foreign markets.
“The Mwari is a case in point. It is being sold to African markets, but no one in the SAAF has had the opportunity to fly it yet,” Ndlovu said.
