Denel Aerospace Systems

Infobox Company
company_name = Denel Aerospace Systems
company_
company_type = division of proprietary limited company
foundation = 1991
location = Centurion, Gauteng, South Africa
key_people =
area_served = world wide
industry = weapons development and manufacturing
products = guided missiles,glide bombs
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees =
parent = Denel (Pty) Ltd (100% state-owned)
subsid =
homepage = [http://www.denel.co.za Official site]
footnotes = previously Kentron a division of Denel (Pty) Ltd

Denel Aerospace Systems, formerly Kentron, is a division of Denel (Pty) Ltd, a South African armaments development and manufacturing company wholly owned by the South African Government. It underwent the name change from Kentron during the early part of 2004. Denel Aerospace Systems is located in Centurion, South Africa.

Key products

Denel Aviation

Denel Aviation is a sub-division of Denel Aerospace Systems. Denel absorbed the previous Atlas Aircraft Corporation of South Africa (Atlas Aviation) that had been established in 1965.

Denel Aviation lists its three main functions as:

Airframe manufacturing

General manufacturing processes for component manufacture for Denel and third parties, aerostructure subassemblies, as well as assembly and integration of airframes.cite web |publisher= denel.co.za |date=2006-11-26 |title= Denel: Group structure |url=http://www.denel.co.za/groupstruct.asp]

Aerospace engineering

Structural and system design, testing, subsystems, aerodynamic design and analysis, weapons and stores integration, avionics system engineering and software development, electrical system design, mission planning, test and integration (ground testing and full flight testing).

Aircraft logistics

Integrated system support and product support for fixed and rotary wing transport and tactical aircraft; maintenance, conversions and assembly, component repair, laboratory/calibration services, aircraft painting and aircraft refurbishment/modernization.

UN arms embargo violation

Four South Africans working for Kentron were arrested in March 1984 in Coventry and charged with violation of the UN arms embargo – which outlawed the export of arms and military equipment to apartheid South Africa.

The Coventry Four were granted bail against a deposit of £200,000 and a guarantee by a diplomat from the South African embassy who waived his diplomatic immunity. They were allowed to return to South Africa on condition that they appeared at their trial in England in August 1984. In the event, South African foreign minister, Pik Botha, refused to allow them to return for their trial. Thus, the charges that Kentron personnel were involved in circumventing the UN arms embargo remain unproven.

References

External links

* [http://www.denel.co.za/ Denel Official Site]
* [http://www.kentron.co.za/ Kentron website]
* [http://www.denel.co.za/Aerospace.asp Denel Aerospace Systems]

ee also

*Armscor (South Africa)
*Military of South Africa
*Military history of South Africa
*South African Air Force
*List of aircraft of the South African Air Force
* Advena (formerly Kentron Circle)
* Operation Phenix
* South Africa and weapons of mass destruction
* Vela Incident