Denel to capitalise on Middle East spending
DENEL said yesterday that it expected to capitalise on forecast growth in defence spending in the Middle East, as well as its own good reputation there, when it participates at the region’s top defence exhibition later this month.
Zwelakhe Ntshepe, the acting chief executive of Denel, said the company would have a strong presence at IDEX 2017 in Abu Dhabi from February 19-23.
Defence decision-makers and industry leaders from Gulf countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are expected at the biennial show.
The South African stateowned aerospace and defence technology conglomerate said in a statement that a recent Deloitte report had projected a rebound in global defence spending this year, with particularly good growth expected in the Middle East and North Africa, where a number of countries were starting to acquire next-generation military equipment.
“This is a region that is very familiar with the quality of Denel’s products, especially in the fields of artillery, armoured vehicles and munition, and we want to build on this reputation by exhibiting our capabilities,” Ntshepe said.
Denel said the Middle East was vital for the company, which earns almost 60percent of revenue from exports.
Denel Vehicle Systems recently started to deliver its RG31 Mk5 mine-resistant vehicles to a client in the United Arab Emirates following a similar contract to supply the 4x4 N35 armoured vehicles.
“Our reputation in the region is well established, based on the quality of landward defence products such as artillery systems, armoured vehicles and mine-resistant vehicles,” said Ntshepe.
“IDEX 2017 is a great opportunity for Denel to cement our reputation and create interest for other products in our portfolio,” he added.
A wide range of missiles manufactured by Denel Dynamics will be on display at the Denel stand.
This includes the Umkhonto-EIR surface-to-air missile, the A-Darter air-to-air missile, and the Ingwe and Mokopa surface target missiles.
The Cheetah surface-to-air missile manufactured by Denel Dynamics and Rheinmetall Defence Munitions – which offered defence forces comprehensive counter-rocket, artillery and mortar capabilities – would form part of the Rheinmetall Air Defence stand, according to the statement.
Denel Land Systems would also display its wide range of 60mm mortar systems, variants of the DMG-5 machine gun and its NTW 20 anti-materiel rifle that could be deployed against radar installations, bunkers and highvalue targets at a range of more than 1500m.
Ntshepe said scale models of the Rooivalk combat helicopter and the Oryx mediumsized utility helicopter would also be shown at the Denel stand to highlight the company’s capabilities in aviation design, manufacturing, maintenance and repairs.