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Denel AerostructuresDenel Aerostructures

Denel AerostructuresAt the African Aerospace and Defence Exhibition in September, Denel Aerostructures unveiled their newest project: the South African Regional Aircraft. We spoke to CEO Ismail Dockrat to find out more about this exciting endeavour.

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Situated at the heart of the Ekurhuleni

Aerotropolis in the Gauteng Province,

Denel Aerostructures is a recognised

leader in the African aerospace industry.

The company was established in 1964, and was

the first on the continent to be NADCAP-

accredited across multiple technology

disciplines. After two years of debating what to

do with its extensive design and development

capabilities, Denel decided to deviate from its

military theme and instead identified a national

need for an efficient aircraft carrier for low-

density routes.

As the economy of the continent improves, the

demand for air travel has continued to grow. While

some of this air travel is serviced by larger, long-

haul aircraft, there is still a gap for an aircraft

capable of linking the less-populated regional

centres. “For smaller towns and cities with lower

population density there has been a great demand

for regional air travel, and for much smaller aircraft

in areas where the volumes wouldn't justify a larger

aircraft,” says CEO Ismail Dockrat.

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The solution Denel proposes is the South

African Regional Aircraft (SARA). The

project is to be led by Denel, and has

received significant support from the South

African aerospace community, including

industry associations, government

departments and academics. While the

project is still in its pre-development

stage, a prototype is expected within the

next ten years.

“The evidence suggests that there are lots

of these kinds of locations on the continent

that would have a need for such an aircraft.

For example, in the South African context,

it's places like Pietermaritzburg, Polokwane

and Nelspruit, specifically those kind of

municipalities, that we'd be looking at for

this kind of aircraft,” explains Dockrat. “We

believe that we have a contribution to

make towards connecting communities and

making it easier for people in urban

centres to be able to travel point-to-point.”

Using twenty-year-old technology, the

current aircraft on the market are no longer

economical or fuel-efficient. Very few of

them are pressurised, meaning they are

unable to fly above weather. The proposed

SARA is to be pressurised, seat fifteen to

twenty-four passengers in a four-abreast

seating solution, and serve low-density

routes.

For smaller towns and cities with lower population density there has been a great demand for regional air travel, and for much smaller aircraft in areas where the volumes wouldn't justify a larger aircraft”

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As of yet, no considerations have been

made for possible military uses. While it

may seem problematic to design such a

small passenger aircraft that is able to take

off and land on the short airfields that

currently exist in smaller regional centres,

Denel seem confident that they are up for

the challenge.

“We've done quite phenomenal things in

the past,” says Dockrat, speaking of Denel

Aerostructures' involvement in the military

side of the aerospace industry and the

success of the Rooivalk helicopter, “but we

haven't done something new in the last few

years. It's important for us to have an

exciting visionary programme to mobilise

the engineering design and artisanal skills

in our industry, one that will develop

excitement for young engineers in the

aerospace industry.”

Stimulating the country's young aerospace

engineers and technicians is a big focus for

Denel, and arguably plays a significant role

in their prominence in the African

aerospace field industry. While many

companies operating in South Africa have

struggled with the skills shortage, Denel

has its own solution.

“We do a lot of things,” explains Dockrat.

“We have a very strong engineering

academy. We have the dedicated Denel

Technical Academy, which brings aircraft

technicians. I think we've shown we can

make a contribution towards having the

right skills.” Denel Technical Academy — an

Aviation and Engineering apprenticeship

training institute — is located in Gauteng,

and was established over four decades ago

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to close the skills shortage within the

aviation industry.

“Sometimes it's a bit of a predicament. If

you don't have exciting things going on,

and you're lamenting the lack of skills,

sometimes it's because you're not doing

exciting things that you can create a

passion for,” says Dockrat. “When you talk

to young people about aviation, it's

something that they can become

passionate about, and it's something that

can inspire them to want to be better at

maths, better at science, and it gives

young people the kind of insight that they

need to pursue careers like engineering

and technical engineering.”

While SARA is expected to keep Denel

Aerostructures busy for the next few years,

the company will also be manufacturing

ISO locks — a combination of cross-tracks

and aluminium rails to be fitted into the

cargo holds of the giant aircraft that will be delivered

to international clients over the next six years.

Considering Denel's dedication to encouraging and

educating young technicians and engineers, this

high-activity period is unlikely to be anything but

positive for the leading company in the African

aerospace industry.

Using twenty-year-old technology, the current aircraft on the market are no longer economical or fuel-efficient. Very few of them are pressurised, meaning they are unable to fly above weather.

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Postal Address:

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South Africa

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