Denel to send experts to probe Ecuadorian Cheetah ‘incident’

19 August 2011 by defenceWeb

On Monday one of the ex-South African Air Force Cheetahs sold to Ecuador experienced an in-flight incident that injured one of the pilots, prompting Denel to send a team of investigators to the country to find out what went wrong.

"Denel Aviation confirms that one of the 12 Cheetah supersonic fighter aircraft sold to the Air Force of Ecuador in 2010 experienced an in-flight incident on Monday in Taura," Denel Group spokesperson Sinah Phochana said yesterday.

"The FAE Ecuadorian pilot, Major Galo Álvarez, suffered light injuries and was taken to the naval hospital, where he is recovering."

"Denel's thoughts are with Major Álvarez and his family and the company wishes him a prompt and full recovery," she said.

The Mail & Guardian reports her as being unable to confirm accounts that Alvarez suffered facial injuries due to cockpit decompression. However, Ecuadorian media say part of the ejection seat exploded, damaging the cockpit and injuring Alvarez’s face.

After the incident, Denel test pilot Mike Weingartz, who was seated in the rear cockpit, was able to bring the aircraft safely back to Taura Air Base.

Doctors on Wednesday said Alvarez was out of danger and that his face was getting better. He will remain in hospital for at least a week and will then take a month off work.

Monday’s flight was part of acceptance testing of the first Ecuadorian Cheetahs. Deliveries of the first three disassembled aircraft were completed on May 31, after arriving by sea from South Africa.

Flight testing was due to end yesterday, after which Denel would continue delivering the other aircraft, according to Ecuadorian media. However, on Tuesday the FAE suspended Cheetah deliveries until the investigation into the incident concludes.

Denel's aviation chief executive, Mike Kgobe, said he had dispatched a team of investigators to probe the incident. Phochana said the team was expected to arrive in Ecuador yesterday.

In December last year, Denel Aviation, Armscor and the South African Air Force jointly sold 12 Cheetahs to Ecuador for US$78.4 million. Both single seat and dual seat Cheetah form part of the Ecuadorian package, with ten Cheetah C and two Cheetah D being included in the package.

The deal provides for five years of support in addition to the acquisition of the aircraft, support equipment, spares and training. Kgobe affirmed that the cost of the initial acquisition is US$43.4 million and South African industry would receive a further US$7 million per annum for support. “The deal has a benefit for the specialist South African support industry which cannot be underestimated. Their involvement is crucial to ensuring the delivery and support success of the programme over the support period,” Kgobe said.

According to the Commander in Chief of the Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana (FAE), Brigadier General Leonardo Barreiro, the modernised South African aircraft would replace the twelve obsolete Mirage F1 fighters which the FAE has operated since 1979 and have completed their useful life.

The FAE has 13 Kfir C.2 and TC.2 (single and duel-seat aircraft respectively) in service, from 18 obtained directly from Israel. At least eight have already been upgraded to the latest Kfir C.10 version, known in Ecuador as the Kfir CE.

According to the FAE, the Cheetah is compatible in their electronics and weapons systems with the Israeli Kfir CE and will thus complement their supersonic fleet.

The SAAF started the withdrawal of the Cheetah aircraft in the late 1990’s, with the retired aircraft utilised to support the remaining aircraft. The final aircraft were only to be retired once all the Swedish Gripens purchased under the Strategic Defence package acquisition programme had been delivered in 2012. However, the remaining 11 Cheetah C single-seat and five Cheetah D dual-seat aircraft were phased out in April 2008 to save costs. The Gripens are still in the process of being delivered, with the final delivery expected in 2012.

The Cheetah upgrade of the French Mirage III was developed by Denel Aviation and is based on the Israeli Kfir fighter, itself a development of the Mirage III. The modernisation consisted of a complete renovation of the airframe, implementation of fixed canards, two new weapon points on the wings, a new in-flight refuelling intake, new ejection seats and a more powerful engine. It also included more sophisticated avionics, radar and self protection.

Work on the first conversion began in April 1983. The type was officially unveiled to the public on July 16, 1986, although it was only declared operational the next year. Thirty-eight C-models, 16 D-models and 16 E-variants were remanufactured. In October 2003 Chile bought five Cheetah Es as spare parts sources for their ENAER Pantera aircraft. (These are Mirage 50s upgraded with Israeli assistance to Kfir standard.)