S.Africa launches combat helicopter after 25 years

source defence.pk

01/04/2011 UNIVISION.com  AFP

South African defence firm Denel handed its new Rooivalk armed helicopter over to the military Friday, a project 27 years in the making touted as a boost to national pride. The Rooivalk programme, which cost an estimated 613 billion rand ($91 billion, 64 billion euros) from its launch in 1984 under the apartheid regime, had often been derided as a waste of money in a country whose military mission had changed radically during that time. But air force leaders and defence contractors said Friday the handover of five combat-ready helicopters was a proud day for South Africa and a sign of the country's robust industry. "It proves that South Africa has the capacity for design, engineering and manufacturing to compete effectively in the global environment," said Antonie Visser, chief of defence materiel for the South African defence department.