The successful Cheetah programme was an impressive achievement by the South African aviation industry. The programme started out as an upgrade of existing Mirage III aircraft into Cheetah D and E aircraft. It was essentially a black project with many details on the classified list. This was done to great effect, with very few people knowing that a completely new type, the Cheetah C entered service with the SAAF, after the Cheetah D and E. Initially, all Cheetah aircraft types were regarded as outright failures. But as more detail became available with the very professional air shows during 1995 and the efforts of "Spotty", public opinion changed virtually overnight. The Cheetah C is fitted with high-tech radar, avionics and the latest weapons to make it a formidable opponent to even later fighter aircraft. As the only modern equipped fast jet fighter aircraft in service on Sub-Saharan Africa, the aircraft is unique in a number of aspects and enjoy a huge popularity with aviation enthusiasts worldwide. There are even scale model kits available of both the Cheetah C and Cheetah D!
 

Like most of the current modern aircraft in service with the SAAF, the Cheetah can trace its origins to the Border War conflict. During the early 80s the SAAF's operational jet aircraft were starting to show their age. Due to the UN's arms embargo against South Africa (the embargo lasted from 1977 until 1994) the existing aircraft were becoming even more difficult to support. The local arms industry was in fact quite capable to support the aircraft then in service. The problem was the immediate future. Increasingly more advanced aircraft (mainly from Soviet origin) were entering service with the frontline states right on the border with South Africa. The Buccaneer and Canberra, although effective strike aircraft, could not serve as practical future fighter aircraft and the SAAF did not have enough on strength. The Mirage F1 was at the time, South Africa's back bone in air defence and also the primary strike aircraft, due to the numbers in service. The Mirage F1 was the last modern aircraft delivered to the SAAF in 1977 and then capable of meeting the immediate threat. But to withdraw them from service for an upgrade would've left a large gap in the air defence and strike capability of South Africa. This was not considered an option.