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DENEL Aviation Cheetah

Written by Anton Dyason - IPMS SA Media Group

Thursday, 26 July 2001

Page 3 of 16

The different Cheetah variants.

Early Cheetah D:

First aircraft to be upgraded was a Mirage III D2Z no 845 and delivered to Atlas in April 1983. A number of Cheetah Ds were in use by 89 Combat FS (the unit reformed with the new type) even before the type was officially unveiled on 16 July 1986 by Atlas Aviation (now Denel Aviation). The Cheetah D aircraft as it was called at the official ceremony was a very aerodynamic, two seater, delta-winged aircraft in a toned down grey colour scheme with toned down national markings. The ceremony included the Cheetah namesake - two live Cheetah wild animals enclosed in an appropriate cage. All Cheetah Ds were converted from Mirage III DZ and D2Z trainers.

The orriginal press release photo of South Africa's latest aircraft (Cheetah D no 845) during July 1986. Note 89 Combat FS badge, Cheetah logo, absence of RWRs and Mirage type ejection seats.

Visual differences are the long drooping nose, two canards, dogtooth leading edges and an in-flight refuelling probe. In the side profile the aircraft appeared similar to the Kfir two seater, but retained the Atar back end. At the official ceremony the RWRs were removed from 845. The D variant was operational by the summer of 1987 and flown by 89 Combat Flying School at AFB Pietersburg in the Cheetah conversion and fighter/ground attack role. It looks like the single and double seater conversion programmes proceeded side by side. But the double seaters received a higher priority. This could be due to ever decreasing numbers of Buccaneers on strength. Also as the Buccaneer delivered PGMs in the later stages of the Border War conflict, it could be that the double seater Cheetah D was ideally suited for this role. Some publications speculate that the Cheetah D also took over SA's nuclear strike role and this was the main reason why the aircraft had to be operational in the shortest possible time. When the new Government came to power in 1994, South Africa's nuclear programme was declared to world standard and no evidence could be found of weapons for use of mass destruction.

One of the Cheetah D magazine ads, by Atlas Aviation.

We will never know if the nuclear aspect is in fact true. However, AFB Pietersburg closed down in 1992 and 89 Combat FS disbanded. All Cheetah D aircraft transferred to AFB Louis Trichardt where they joined 2 Squadron, the "Flying Cheetahs". Today, they are mostly used as operational trainers. The Cheetah Ds is part of 2 Sqdn, but within the sqdn they form almost a separate component and many view them unofficially as "2 Sqdn Training Flight". It is not widely known but this training flight provides advanced training to a number of foreign air forces and various courses are conducted throughout the year. Main aspects of the foreign training are advanced operational flying while benefiting from the SAAF's vast combat experience. The Cheetah D has received at least one major upgrade programme in addition to small system retrofits to have the aircraft on current basis with systems as fitted to the Cheetah C. See "Cheetah D upgrade" below. A total of 16 Cheetah D aircraft were completed and one aircraft was lost in a flying accident. No 845 still exists today and is used for system testing at TFDC and was extensively used in the development of MUPSOW - South Africa's indigenous stand-off weapon.

Cheetah D no 845, with MUPSOW - SA indidenous stand-off weapon.

Cheetah E:

Early Cheetah E during a test flight.

The second and third aircraft delivered to Atlas for conversion was Mirage III EZs for single seater conversion. It looks like the single and double seater conversion programmes proceeded side by side. But the double seaters received a higher priority to get them operational in the shortest possible time. These aircraft received similar upgrades and conversions as applied to the Cheetah D. But the nose mounted strakes were mounted further forward than on the Cheetah D, a plug was fitted behind the nose section to house the electronic systems and the forward RWR was fitted further back than on the Cheetah D. The avionics and navigation / attack systems were optimised for single pilot use. The Cheetah E equipped the reformed 5 Sqdn at the newly constructed ultra modern airbase, AFB Louis Trichardt, close to the Zimbabwean border. The sqdn operated the E variant in both strike and air-air operations.

A minimum of two Cheetah E aircraft was on permanent standby to guard against an attack from the north. Standard armament for such operations were two V3B ( later two V3Cs) missiles and the use of two stream lined Mirage type auxiliary fuel tanks. Later, the V3C Darter air-air missile was optimised for use on the Cheetah aircraft and used as the primary air-air missile. The last of the Cheetah upgrades were all single seater aircraft. Not much is known about the Cheetah E while in service with the SAAF and photos are even more difficult to obtain. The Cheetah Es was retired when 5 Sqdn disbanded on 2 October 1992. All remaining aircraft were placed in flyable storage at AFB Pietersburg. A total of 16 Cheetah Es was converted and two were lost due to flying accidents. On a few occasions the remaining aircraft was offered for sale but the interested air force backed out of the deal at the last minute. Cheetah E 842 was the last E delivered and remained flying for systems testing. The aircraft was also painted in a non-standard colour scheme.

It was eventually transferred to the SAAF Museum Swartkop,where it received a repaint of the non standard colour scheme and placed on static display. It is now one of the most frequent visited, exhibits on display. In all no 842 at SAAF Museum Swartkops is great PR by the SAAF, as the general public were denied real access to these aircraft while in service with the SAAF.

Cheetah E no 842 at SAAF Museum, Swartkops.

Cheetah Ejection Seats:

An early Cheetah D from 89 CFS. Note cover inside cockpit to hide details of the ejection seat.

Another aspect over looked by historians is the ejection seats as fitted to the Cheetah. The first Cheetah D no 845 had the original Mirage type ejection seats. But due to low-flying operations in the Border War conflict, the SAAF realised it needed a new modern ejection seat with zero-zero capability. No doubt, Arthur Piercy's dreadful accident (see "SAAF at War", S Bouwer, M. Louw), which left him paralysed from the waist down, must have had a positive influence in the procurement of new ejection seats. Closer inspection of later static Cheetah D & E aircraft reveals, that a lighter variant of the Martin Baker Mk 10 was fitted to these aircraft. However, the SAAF has not published exact details of this re fitment. Early photos of the Cheetah show either the ejection seat with a canvas cover or the entire canopy blanked off to hide details of the ejection seat(s).

Cheetah "R" no 855:

The only Cheetah R no 855.

In order to have an advanced reconnaissance capability for future use, a feasibility study was conducted as a possible further extension to the Cheetah upgrade programme. This involved a single Atar 9K50 Mirage III R2Z no 855 converted to Cheetah standard. The so called sole Cheetah "R" featured a newly designed nose section that housed a similar camera configuration as the Mirage III R2Z in the bottom of the nose. The new nose also houses the compact radar of the Cheetah E, but the pitot was relocated above the nose, instead of below.

Other sensors could be carried further aft, accessed via hatches in the sides of the nose. To conserve weight and increase the maximum dash speed, the cannons were removed and the canon ports faired over. Only one such aircraft was converted and later fitted with the ACW (Advanced Combat Wing). The aircraft was extensively used for systems testing, testing of the flight envelope of the ACW and integration of the 9K50 engine to the Cheetah programme. This was the only Cheetah not fitted with a refuelling probe. But the SAAF did not select the Cheetah "R" - see ACW in next section. Does this mean the SAAF has no aerial reconnaissance capability? See "Ordnance" for more info. This wing was not fitted with the extra missile pylons which is a feature of the ACW.

ACW - Advanced Combat Wing:

The Advanced Combat Wing was originally intended as an export item by Atlas for operators of Mirage III/5/50/aircraft and to improve the turn rate of the Cheetah E. At the time the Cheetah programme seemed so successful that key components were offered as export items to Mirage III operators. The new ACW featured a fixed, drooped leading edge with no dogtooth. Fuel capacity was increased to extend the aircraft's combat radius on internal fuel. Further gains in sustained turn performance, higher AOA and even lower minimum speeds were obtained. This wing was fitted to the sole Cheetah "R" no 855 and first unveiled in 1994, at an exhibition, at Waterkloof Airbase, that represented the aerospace industry in Southern Africa. This became Aerospace Africa in later years.

The Advanced Combat Wing as fitted to Cheetah D no 844.

Despite the advantages of the new wing, the SAAF did not select the ACW for use on the Cheetah, as the Cheetah E was due for replacement by the advanced Cheetah C, but the existence of the Cheetah C was a closely guarded secret at the time. The only Cheetah "R" was subsequently taken apart. The ACW wing went to the SAAF Museum at Swartkop in 1995 and the rest of the Cheetah "R" found its way into the normal Cheetah programme. An ACW was also fitted to Cheetah D no 844. This aircraft is used by Denel as a technology demonstrator and for system testing. This aircraft was exhibited as a static example at the biannual 1995, Paris air show. Cheetah D no 844, is mainly used by Denel and performs on the odd occasion at South African Air Shows. The extra missile pylon was not fitted to this wing, but a feature of the ACW as it allowed for two additional missile pylons.

A period of false information:

The next chapter in the history of the Cheetah contains various degrees of false information and it is very difficult to distinguish the facts. As number 855 was exhibited during 1994 as the Cheetah "R" leading aerospace publications picked up on the story that apparently an entire new fighter programme was underway in South Africa. The SAAF was not the culprit in this chapter, but rather the aerospace journalists who became victims of their own selfishness to be first with the "story". A number of different reports were published each claiming to be as accurate as the previous report.

Some of the reports suggested that the existing Cheetah Es were re-fitted with Atar 9K50 engines from the retired F1CZ aircraft, some claimed the Cheetah "R" was the latest type under Project 855 or Project Bark and even quoted the total cost of this project, while others claimed the Cheetah "R" was actually the new Cheetah C under development. There were even reports that South Africa had developed a twin Atar 9K50 fighter aircraft and a model of this type at an aerospace exhibition fuelled more speculation that "Project Cava" existed. Some refer to "Project Caver".Although the model was essentially a single engine aircraft. But the sole Cheetah "R" fuelled the majority of reports as many concluded the SAAF was in need of reconnaissance aircraft as very few aircraft remained in the SAAF's inventory that could be used for this role. The SAAF simply capitalised on wrong reports in the media to protect its current black project which was well underway.

Cheetah C: The ultimate development of the Mirage III concept.

Cheetah C - Ultimate development of the Mirage III concept.

"Project Tunny" was the most expensive and ambitious aircraft programme ever in the history of the SAAF. There is no official starting date for this programme but resulted in the SAAF being equipped with the Cheetah C - regarded as the ultimate development of the original Mirage III concept even surpassing the French Mirage III NG, which never entered production. The entire project was held in total secrecy and the project name was hardly mentioned. Another advantage was the Cheetah E being kept out of the public eye so very few people could at the time tell the difference between the single seaters. The project was still treated to total secrecy even after the aircraft entered sqdn service. However, during 1994 a single poor quality photo of the SAAF's latest fighter appeared in a Cape Town newspaper. A flood of rumours did the rounds as the all Mirage airframes were accounted for, where were the new airframes obtained? Or did South Africa develop means to build new airframes in a relatively short time?

The SAAF simply stated that a new type was in service with the SAAF as the Cheetah C. The much respected SA aerospace publication: "Aireport of 1997" stated a few years later that the main fuselage components of the Cheetah C were sourced from Israel, while the rest of the systems were locally manufactured. The radar was sourced elsewhere. Another aerospace publication stated that Israel developed an advanced Kfir powered by a 9K50 engine for the use by air forces which could not obtain the JM 79 engine. But according to the report, this project was not completed. Some suggested the Cheetah C was the highly secret Israeli Kfir 2000, but this proved untrue in the end. There where even suggestions that the Cheetah C was always the intended front-line aircraft and the Cheetah E served as an interim measure. Many believe the Cheetah E was withdrawn due to its Atar 9C-3 engine, as it failed to meet the operational requirement to power a far heavier aircraft. But the SAAF stated that the Cheetah C is so advanced that the Cheetah E was no longer required.

As the remaining Mirages were being upgraded (as part of the Cheetah D & E upgrade), 2 Sqdn effectively lost the aircraft which they were associated with for a number of decades. This resulted in the Sqn being deactivated during mid 1990, but reformed at their new home at AFB Louis Trichardt during December 1992. All Cheetah D aircraft of the disbanded 89 Combat FS were transferred to 2 Sqdn. The Cheetah Ds, although part of 2 Sqdn is a separate component within 2 Sqdn and viewed unofficially as the "Cheetah Training Flight". At the time the "training flight" was responsible for all fast jet operational training, even to types such as the Mirage F1AZ, then still in service. It is estimated the first Cheetah Cs arrived at 2 Sqdn during January 1993 and the last example of the 38 Cheetah Cs were handed over to Lt Col Cobus Toerien, then OC of 2Sqdn, during March 1995. At the same time on 4 March 1995 at AFB Langebaan, the aircraft type did both an aerial display and was displayed as a static exhibit for members of the public, as part of the 75th SAAF Anniversary air shows. The Cheetah C has only appeared twice as part of a brief aerial display before the air show at AFB Langebaan. The very professional air display caused even the most die-hard view that these aircraft were not worth much, to view the type as an entirely different cat, which is more than capable to meet a number of advanced threats.

The Cheetah C features basically the same aerodynamic layout as the Cheetah D, E and R. The external components have been refined to make them more streamline. The new fixed in-flight refuelling probe uses less external piping to reduce drag. The wing is more refined, with the midway fences being deleted, but the dogtooth was retained. However, the biggest advantage of the Cheetah C, is the use of the Atar 9K50 engine as used in the Mirage F1 types and some later Mirage III types. Atlas had a production licence for this engine and optimised the engine with advanced components over the years, to provide the Cheetah C with a significant increase in performance. A new larger sized nose section is used. The new nose houses entirely new and more modern radar, which is said to be more capable than the radars as fitted to current F16s. This capability would make it an advanced pulse Doppler multi mode unit. The SAAF acknowledged that the radar was sourced elsewhere. Even more modern avionics and navigation/attack systems were fitted to the aircraft, all with in-flight update capability. The avionics and navigation/attack systems are regarded to be more capable than the systems as fitted to current F16s. Most of these systems are housed in a new plug of about 58cm between the cockpit and engine intakes. As the cockpit is further forward, the spine is naturally longer with a slight hump just forward of the tail fin. The already impressive EW suite were upgraded with even more modern equipment, to make it one of the most advanced EW suites ever fitted to fighter aircraft of any generation. The cockpit received an oversized HUD of the latest type. An oversized HUD is another component regarded as essential for future fighter aircraft and this was already in service with the SAAF since the mid 90s. The cockpit was also upgraded, but remains on the classified list to this day and no details or photos may be published. A more modern HOTAS system with an advanced helmet mounted sight are incorporated into the aircraft. It is said that a number of advanced features help the pilot to visualise the tactical situation and aid him to make better decisions to cope with immediate threats.

It is extremely odd that the latest Cheetah C uses an earlier ejection seat, the Martin Baker Mk 6 while the Cheetah D & E uses the advanced Mk10. Reason for this phenomenon and why the seat was not replaced with a more modern unit, is unknown. Although the Mk6 is more advanced than the Mirage III seats, it still features the head rest ejection handles in addition to the seat-pan firing handle. The front windscreen features a single glass wrap around windscreen without the use of frames. Better optical quality is achieved with the use of space age materials, while at the same time offer better immunity to bird strikes. The cockpit coaming has been lowered and with the single front windscreen significantly increases the pilot's forward vision. The main undercarriage was upgraded with new units to increase the maximum take off weight. This needed new undercarriage main doors different in shape to the Mirage III or the Cheetah D & E.

Cheetah C - Note Mk 6 ejection seat.

The Cheetah C is a pilot's delight and offers significant performance in a modern fighter package. All the Cs was constantly refined over the years. The Cheetah C is South Africa's current front line aircraft and our nations' first line of defence. It is scheduled to remain in service until at least 2012.

Cheetah D upgrade and the Cheetah "D/C" prototype:

The latest Cheetah D.

From an early stage it was realised that the Cheetah D could benefit from a more powerful engine. A Cheetah D no 844 suffered severe fire damage to its rear fuselage following a heavy landing at Upington. The damaged Cheetah D was returned to Atlas for repair. The aircraft was subjected to a detailed examination and it was concluded: the front half of the airframe and its key systems did not suffer serious damage. Atlas funded a private venture to carry out a feasibility study on upgrading the Cheetah D. The rear fuselage and engine were removed and minor damage on the rest of the fuselage was repaired. Next was the attachment of the rear fuselage from a Mirage III RZ (Actually no 836 an RZ that had already received a 9K50 engine while in service with the SAAF) and a vertical stabiliser from a new Cheetah C. By this time the Cheetah C programme was at an advanced stage, with deliveries beyond the half way mark. It was decided to replace the original 09C of no 844 and retain the 9K50 engine from 836. A single piece windshield and an adapted C type undercarriage were also fitted. The private venture project lasted from 7 July '94 until 25 November 1994, when 844 took to the air again. Flight tests showed a considerable performance increase, while offering far better agility. This aircraft was on static display at the 1995 Paris Air Show. The SAAF was suitably impressed with the upgraded Cheetah D and subsequently all the Cheetah Ds were upgraded to this standard. First batch to be converted were serial numbers: 849, 852, 859, 860 and 862. This upgrade also included new avionics to bring them on par with the Cheetah C, for which the aircraft serve as a trainer. However, Cheetah D, serial number 844, was initially at times referred to as Cheetah D/C.

Some of the Cheetah Ds differs in very subtle ways, the main area being the ventral fairing at the bottom of the aircraft. There are three different types in use and depends on the airframe used in the original conversion. As this is at the bottom of the aircraft - it is not normally noticed. The media has published various designations for the Cheetah D like D, D2, D/C etc. but in the SAAF only Cheetah D is used, regardless of the fuselage used for the basis of the conversion. The Cheetah D celebrated its 10th anniversary in service with the SAAF during 1996 as part of a special ceremony at 2 Squadron.

Cheetah D no 844.

Over the years the Cheetah D was constantly refined and upgraded and the latest addition to these aircraft is the fitment of an explosive cord in the canopy frame. But this is hardly noticeable as the cord is fitted into the frame and not into the windscreen. Currently Cheetah D no 844 is used by DENEL for system testing - the air show performance of this double seater is spectacular. All the other Cheetah Ds is operational with 2 Sqdn in the operational training role, with no 845, the original Cheetah D in use by TFDC for systems testing.

Russian engine:

As a possible upgrade for the F1AZ no 216 was modified by Aerosud and fitted with the Russian Klimov SMR-95 engine. This is essentially the same engine as used in the Mig 29 but with a slight modification to the aft section to fit into the Mirage F1AZ. No 216 is known as the "Super Mirage F1AZ" but the project was discontinued due to costs. See also the F1 knowledge base. During 2001 the project was revived as a demonstrator of Russian/South African cooperation in advanced technology. A single Cheetah D no 847 was also fitted with the same Russian engine. The D model was used as no 847 was already used for system testing and the area of the second ejection seat, once removed, could be used for test instrumentation. But the project was discontinued due to costs and some problems were experienced with the aircraft's centre of gravity. Following the success of the 9K50 engine in Cheetah D no 844 all Cheetah Ds was refitted with the 9K50 engine. No 847 were displayed for a number of years at the SAAF Museum Swartkops, but without the Russian engine. During SAAF 80 the aircraft was on static display and currently in storage with DENEL at AFB Waterkloof.