Tag: South African defence industry
From crisis to catalyst: How US tariffs could spur South Africa’s...
The USA has formally communicated that South African goods will be subject to a 30% tariff effect 1 August. The result is that many...
Motshekga to deliver keynote at upcoming AMD annual general meeting
Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga is due to deliver a keynote address at the Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries Association of South...
Significant arms export application backlog cleared – Holomisa
A significant backlog of arms control applications and export permits has been cleared as part of the Government of National Unity’s collective responsibilities in...
How SADI can leverage local capabilities for global impact
The full design, development and production capability of the South African Defence Industry (SADI) was established over a roughly 30-year period leading into the...
Motshekga ‘in awe’ of South African defence industry
South Africa’s Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Angie Motshekga, has expressed her strong admiration for the South African defence industry (SADI), calling it...
South Africa and Portugal: A strategic defence partnership with potential
In June 2023, South Africa and Portugal took a major step towards deepening bilateral cooperation by signing a Defence Cooperation Agreement during President Marcelo...
SA defence industry well-being a DoD responsibility – Motshekga
Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga used a Parliamentary question to assure a National Assembly (NA) African National Congress (ANC) whip the South...
Procure to export: A new mindset for South Africa’s defence industry
The South African government wants to drive growth and job creation. The local defence industry has existing capabilities that can be exploited to assist....
AMD launches new vision and mission
The Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries Association of South Africa (AMD) has unveiled its new vision and mission as it charts a new direction...
South African Women in Defence forge new path toward inclusion and...
A milestone in South Africa’s journey towards an inclusive defence environment was witnessed at the recent South African Women in Defence (SAWID) Breakfast, held...
DA calls for urgent overhaul of Denel
Denel must undergo an urgent overhaul and leadership revamp to secure South Africa’s defence sector, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has urged. It says the...
Apex industry: Strengthening South Africa’s aerospace and defence landscape
The Aerospace and Defence Master Plan of 2020 indicates that the aerospace and defence market is an apex industry and it is aligned with...
SADI Masterplan first for AMD
A meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC) is not on the agenda yet for the SA Aerospace, Defence and Maritime Industries...
Mapping South Africa’s arms exports: trends, key markets, and regional demand
South Africa’s long struggling defence industry has, in recent years, experienced somewhat of a revival. The National Conventional Arms Control Committee’s (NCACC’s) annual reports...
Why no word on defence Mr President?
In his State of The Nation Address on Thursday President Cyril Ramaphosa outlined his roadmap for 2025.
The President detailed the projects which would receive...
Stuck record: The South African defence industry can be a South...
2024 has come and gone. There are good and bad elements that have been reported related to the South African defence industry.
Good/positive highlights of...
AMD names new leadership, still seeking a chairperson
South Africa’s representative organisation for the defence industry – widely known by the acronym AMD – is leaderless following a delayed annual general meeting...
Day Two of AAD 2024 Conference to Highlight South African Industry...
The AAD 2024 Conference, set to take place from 18-20 September at Air Force Base Waterkloof, will feature a highly anticipated South African Industry...
South Africa’s arms exports nearly doubled in 2023
The National Conventional Arms Control Committee’s (NCACC’s) 2023 annual report shows a massive rise in South African defence exports, which totalled R7.1 billion for...
Modise foresees global engagement for South Africa’s defence industry at AAD...
Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise maintains a thriving and technologically enhanced South African defence industry (SADI) is an important component of the...
Weak SANDF tarnishes national image and compromises SA’s ability to protect...
If the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is perceived to be weak, or in fact is, this tarnishes South Africa’s national image and...
The MRAP bubble – Has it burst?
A recent article in Business Day by Erika Gibson on the status of the SA defence industry provides some interesting food for thought. One...
Analysis: Too soon to quit – Armscor tenders and SMME development
“It is always too soon to quit”. This is a quote attributed to Norman Vincent Peale. I was starting to wonder if Armscor would...
Rise in SA defence exports ‘miraculous’ – AMD
South African defence exports for 2023 are set to greatly exceed those of the previous year – something the Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries...
Is the South African defence sector fighting in the correct weight...
SA has a new fighting champion, Dricus du Plessis. As he said after winning the UFC middleweight title bout against Sean Strickland of the...
Aviation holds huge potential for the South African defence industry
The aviation sector is one of four potential clusters in the South African Aerospace & Defence (A&D) industry that can be used to revive...
An overarching SA defence industry strategy is desperately needed for 2024...
As South Africa enters 2024, the state of its defence industry is taking centre stage, urging the need for a comprehensive strategy to propel...
Nearly R1 billion worth of defence exports in third quarter of...
The South African defence industry exported R900 million worth of military equipment, including dual-use items, in the third quarter of 2023, up slightly from...
2023 a year of ‘good’ mixed with ‘bad’ and some ‘ugly’...
2023 showed that the SA defence industry (SADI) is mainly on its own when looking for solutions and market opportunities.
2023 kicked off with a...
Eight years on, still no new NCACC IT system
For the past eight years, South Africa’s National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) has been attempting to switch from a paper-based to a digital...
Denel has ‘stabilised’, but is its future secure?
The Engineering News article “Denel seeking to rebuild itself after severe collapse” provides interesting reading. There have been no audited Denel financial statements released...
A strong defence industry is needed to ensure South Africa’s national...
Deputy Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thabang Makwetla maintains that South Africa’s national sovereignty is at risk without a robust defence sector, as a...
Pulling the South African defence industry out of the mud
The recent Public Private Partnerships (PPP) for Defence and Security conference provided an interesting outlook on an alternate future for the defence and security...
Can South Africa’s defense industry recover?
Thandi Modise recognized the irony of a Gripen jet roaring overhead as she delivered a speech to open the African Aerospace and Defence Expo...
Defence industry lekgotla must look to action, not plans
If next month’s long delayed South African defence industry (SADI) lekgotla is to be of any value it must be in the form of...
Modise pledges support for SA defence industry
Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise has said she is committed to supporting South Africa’s defence industry because a healthy defence industry will...
Opinion: SADI-government interaction: 2022 year of “almost” action vs 2023 year...
2022 provided an interesting dynamic in the interaction between the SA defence industry (SADI) and the government role players that have an interest in...
Defence enterprise development fund moves forward
The defence industry Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) fund has been established as an initiative of the Defence Sector Charter Council (DSCC) to improve...
Opinion: SA defence industry – Metamorphosis or dying out?
The definition of a metamorphosis is a complete change. The change can be in character, appearance or condition. The South African Defence Industry (SADI)...
Aerospace and Defence Masterplan identifies short-term revenue opportunities
The Aerospace and Defence Masterplan document has identified a number of pending export opportunities that could begin to generate revenues within 18 months for...
NDIC updates Parliament on initiatives to support the defence industry
The National Defence Industry Council (NDIC) has updated Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Defence (JSCD) on its initiatives, from small arms manufacturing to alternative...
Joint Standing Committee on Defence highlights woeful state of local defence...
The declining defence budget and the poor state of Denel are having a negative impact on the South African defence industry, Parliament’s Joint Standing...
Opinion: The South African defence industry and the God of Opportunity
defenceWeb recently published an article indicating that aerospace, maritime and defence industry association AMD, and I assume the whole member grouping, is looking to...
AMD looking to reposition SA defence industry amid uncertain times
The South African Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industry Association (AMD) hopes to lead the local defence industry out of the quagmire it finds itself...
AMD paints grim picture of SA defence industry
Industry association AMD has painted a bleak portrait of the South African defence industry, as exports, research and development and employee numbers decline, but...
SA defence industry needs to sell itself
The South African defence industry needs to sell itself, otherwise it risks becoming a dead duck, defence expert Helmoed Romer Heitman has cautioned.
Speaking to...
SA defence industry at a crossroads – Mapisa-Nqakula
The South African defence industry is at a critical crossroads due to challenges including the reduced defence budget and fewer acquisition programmes,...
SA defence technology highlighted at AAD despite low defence budget
With the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) exhibition kicking off in Tshwane on 19 September, South Africa's defence industry is on display...
SA defence industry to show it wares overseas
The South African defence industry will be out in force at several big international exhibitions later this year, including the first edition...
