As a matter of interest from a non-helicopter pilot (but a South African taxpayer!), what exactly was wrong with the Rooivalk?
It looked very impressive in display and the specs/ads made it sound like quite an advanced machine?
"Struggling arms maker Denel has been given an R8bn vehicle contract lifeline by Armscor. This comes hard on the heels of its failure to win a bid to supply Turkey with Rooivalk helicopters.
Denel has now decided that the Rooivalk, on whose development the government spent R8bn, is not commercially viable and it will not spend any new money on the helicopters.
Armscor and the defence department will now have to decide whether to subsidise the maintenance of Denel’s Rooivalk capability so that it can continue servicing the 12 helicopters bought by the South African Air Force over their 25-year lifespan.
The other option would be for the air force to mothball the helicopters and for the costs to be written off entirely."
Thanks for any insights
Mac