Denel to have a strong presence at IDEX

6025

Denel will use this month’s IDEX (International Defence Exhibition and Conference) in Abu Dhabi to debut the Al-Tariq precision-guided bomb kit.

The kit is the first product to come out of the Tawazun Dynamics stable. The company is a joint venture between the South African government-owned defence industry conglomerate and Tawazun Holdings, an investment and defence manufacturing company owned by the government of Abu Dhabi.

Denel Dynamics announced the joint venture at last September’s Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) exhibition at AFB Waterkloof. Tawazun Dynamics is the Middle East region’s first facility for the development, manufacture, assembly and integration of precision-guided systems for conventional air munitions.

Denel products will also be on display at a number of IDEX stands including the South African pavilion. The focus will be predominantly on missile technology, unmanned aerial vehicle systems, landward defence and turret systems for mechanised infantry.

This is part of strengthening Denel’s marketing campaign in the Middle East and Africa, Riaz Saloojee, Denel Group CEO, said. Last year official delegations from 52 countries attended the United Arab Emirates (UAE) defence exhibition.
“We have identified the Middle East as a primary region for our new marketing drive to grow Denel’s business. At IDEX we have an opportunity to put some of our flagship products on prominent display and speak directly with potential clients.”

Denel has maintained strong relations with clients in the Gulf region for many years. The G6 self-propelled artillery system, manufactured by Denel Land Systems, is currently in use by the defence forces of the UAE and Oman.

A scale model of the Seeker 400, the new generation tactical unmanned aerial vehicle system, will be on the Denel stand. Denel Dynamics will also showcase its tactical missile products including the Mokopa anti-armour system, Umkhonto-IT surface-to-air missile and the Ingwe laser-guided anti-tank missile.

Denel Land Systems will display scale models of its recently upgraded G6-52. The mobile self-propelled gun-howitzer has been upgraded with an increased firing range and ability to fire up to eight rounds per minute.

The company’s range of turret systems for armoured fighting vehicles will also be demonstrated. Last year Denel signed a R3.5 billion contract with Malaysia to supply turrets and integrated weapon systems for fitment to 8X8 armoured vehicles.

The NTW-20 anti-materiel rifle always attracts attention at defence exhibitions and IDEX is expected to be no different for this weapon. It can destroy high-value targets with the pin-point accuracy of a sniper rifle without causing extensive collateral damage to the surrounding environment.

Other Denel Land Systems infantry weapons that will be showcased are the SS77 general-purpose machine gun, the SS77 Compact machinegun and the GLI-40 automatic grenade launcher.

Denel PMP will market its locally developed Neopup 20mm Personal Area Weapon (PAW) which fires bursting munitions accurately at high-value targets. The Neopup is a semi-automatic grenade launcher carried and fired by a single rifleman and is effective at distances of up to 1 000m. PMP is confident this weapon will attract interest at IDEX.