Ex-SAAF Cheetahs arriving in Ecuador

20 April 2011  by defenceWeb

Three ex-South African Air Force Cheetah fighters will arrive in Ecuador this week as deliveries of the 12 aircraft on order commence. The first three aircraft were shipped from South Africa last week, Ecuadorian Defence Minister Javier Ponce told the El Universo newspaper on Friday. Neither Denel, Armscor nor the Ecuadorian Air Force could be reached for comment at the time of going to press. In December last year, Denel Aviation, Armscor and the South African Air Force (SAAF) 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. Denel Aviation CE Mike Kgobe affirmed that the cost of the initial acquisition is US43.4 million and South African industry would receive a further US$7 million per annum for support, with a total contract value of US$78.4 million. “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. “Our pilots travelled to South Africa to fly the aircraft and verify the aircrafts´ condition. Their report ratified that they are in good condition,” emphasised Barreiro.