Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Denel sells Cheetah fighters to Ecuador

|
|
 
  
A Cheetah E at the South African Air Force Museum at Swartkop, Pretoria. Image courtesy of NJR ZA via Wikimedia Commons. 
Published: Dec. 14, 2010 at 10:39 AM
Advertisement

CENTURION, South Africa, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- South Africa's Denel Aviation has sold 12 mothballed Cheetah C supersonic fighter aircraft to Ecuador's air force.

The monetary value of the sale wasn't disclosed but Denel said that under the agreement it will provide comprehensive maintenance and support service for the aircraft for at least five years.

"This is an exciting business deal for South Africa," said Denel Chief Executive Officer Mike Kgobe. "The Denel Cheetahs have been in storage since they were retired from active duty in 2008.

"Denel Aviation and the South African Cheetah Support industry, in conjunction with the South African air force, were directly involved in the decommissioning and packaging for storage of the aircraft and support infrastructure."

Denel Aviation is the design authority of the single-seat fighter that was locally developed as a variant of the Mirage III in the 1980s.

The Denel Cheetah C and D aircraft were retired from service following the acquisition by South Africa of its new fleet of Saab Gripen fighter jets under the Strategic Defense package acquisition programs.

Complete maintenance and acceptance flight testing will be conducted in South Africa and in Ecuador, the company said.

Recommended Stories
© 2010 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
The 84th Academy Awards winners The breakout star of the Oscars The Daytona 500
Radiohead performs in Miami Ice and Snow Festival in China 2012 Governors Dinner
Additional Security Industry Stories
1 of 29
Members of the Army's Old Guard place flags at Arlington National Ceremtery
View Caption
U.S. flags are seen in the rucksack of a soldier with the Army's 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment, The Old Guard, as he places flags at gravesites in Arlington National Cemetery as part of the Flags-In Memorial Day ceremony on May 24, 2012 in Arlington, Virginia. American flags were placed at each of the more than 220,000 grave markers in honor of those who served and Memorial Day. UPI/Kevin Dietshc
fark
Jurassic Park was built by prisoners in Cuba, with obligatory pics of prehistoric Cubans fighting...
At last, something to look forward to: If you are elderly and poor, prison is a better alternative...
After seeing his neighbor's tree get cut down--a tree planted in 1930, the year he was born--a man...
Child falls from window, lands in hospital. WE'VE GOT A TELEPORTER
In Kentucky you can get a 'Letter Jacket' for A) Football. B) Track. C) Bass fishing. D) All of...
Worst traffic in America? Chicago is 2nd to none.....except for pizza