Origins The Rooivalk project began in early 1984 under the auspices of the
Atlas Aircraft Corporation, a predecessor of
Denel Aviation. Faced with the increasingly conventional nature of the
South African Border War, the South African Defence Force recognised the need for a dedicated attack helicopter and began developing a suitable aircraft. The helicopter was to escort helicopter troop transports, conduct strike missions upon
anti-aircraft positions, and effectively counter the increasing presence of
Soviet tanks; in the latter role, it was to be equipped with
anti-tank missiles. This meant that the attack helicopter would have a significantly large airframe, giving it long range and the capability to carry many sensors and armaments. During the 1980s, the defence budgets of South Africa were relatively generous, especially in contrast to later decades, thus Denel sought to provide a rotorcraft that would be amongst, even potentially superior to, the best attack helicopters in the world. The
Atlas XH-1 Alpha was the first prototype to emerge from the program. by which time the program had suffered a considerable setback.
Further development In 2016, Denel was reportedly proceeding with a
Mk 1.1 upgrade program for the existing Rooivalk fleet; prospective improvements include the addition of a
missile approach warning system and enhancements to the rotorcraft's avionics. In September 2014, Denel Group chief executive Riaz Saloojee stated that the firm were studying the feasibility of reopening the Rooivalk production line, which had been mothballed in 2007 after the production of the initial 12 SAAF aircraft. Saloojee stated that new production aircraft conforming to an entirely new platform that used Rooivalk technology could be produced. In September 2016, the South African government authorised government-to-government negotiations on the topic of restarting production of the Rooivalk. According to Victor Xaba, deputy chief executive of Denel Aerostructures, the company needed commitments for at least 70 rotorcraft for the re-establishment of the assembly line to be viable. The production of a prospective
Rooivalk Mk 2 had been periodically mooted. In late 2016, Denel stated that it was conducting a series of talks with various nations on the Rooivalk Mk 2, including
Egypt,
Brazil,
Nigeria,
Poland, and
India. ==Design==