Aerosud is a group of companies with Aerosud Holdings as the parent company. The group is a South African
aeronautical engineering
Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is sim ...
and manufacturing company.
Aerosud Aerospace
Aerosud is a group of companies with Aerosud Holdings as the parent company. The group is a South African aeronautical engineering and manufacturing company. Aerosud Aerospace was renamed Paramount Aerospace following its acquisition by Paramo ...
was renamed
Paramount Aerospace following its acquisition by
Paramount Group
Paramount Group is a Global Aerospace & Defence group of companies operating in the global defence, internal security and peacekeeping industries. Established in South Africa in 1994, it offers a range of military aircraft, armoured vehicles, ma ...
and
Aerosud Innovation and Training Centre (ITC)
Aerosud is a group of companies with Aerosud Holdings as the parent company. The group is a South African aeronautical engineering and manufacturing company. Aerosud Aerospace was renamed Paramount Aerospace following its acquisition by Paramou ...
was incorporated in the
AHRLAC Holdings Ahrlac
The AHRLAC (Advanced High Performance Reconnaissance Light Aircraft) is a South African light reconnaissance and counter-insurgency aircraft developed by AHRLAC Holdings, a joint venture between the Paramount Group and Aerosud. It is designed ...
of companies during a 2014 restructuring.
History
Aerosud was formed during 1990 by a number of former employees of the
Atlas Aircraft Corporation
The Atlas Aircraft Corporation (also known as Atlas Aviation) was a South African aircraft manufacturer. It was a division of the South African government-owned defence conglomerate Armaments Corporation of South Africa (commonly known as ''Arm ...
, including several key designers of
Denel Rooivalk
The Denel Rooivalk (previously designated AH-2 and CSH-2) is an attack helicopter manufactured by Denel Aviation of South Africa. ''Rooivalk'' is Afrikaans for "Red Falcon", which refers to the lesser kestrel. Development of the type began in ...
attack helicopter and similar leading engineers involved in the
Atlas Cheetah fighter program (A locally-developed upgrade of the
Dassault Mirage III
The Dassault Mirage III () is a family of single/dual-seat, single-engine, fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by French aircraft company Dassault Aviation. It was the first Western European combat aircraft to exceed Mach number, Mach 2 ...
fighter).
One designer
Paul Potgieter, became the company's
managing director
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
. The entity initially focused itself on the aeromechanical sector. Aerosud's early years of operation were marked by a feud between itself and Atlas, which was only resolved over a decade later.
The company's first major contract involved the re-engining of the
Dassault Mirage F1 with the
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
-sourced
Klimov RD-33
The Klimov RD-33 is a turbofan jet engine for a lightweight fighter jet that is the primary engine for the Mikoyan MiG-29 and CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder. It was developed in OKB-117 led by S. P. Izotov (now OAO Klimov) from 1968 with production sta ...
engine most commonly used to power the
Mikoyan MiG-29
The Mikoyan MiG-29 (russian: Микоян МиГ-29; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) is a twin-engine fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s, the MiG ...
fighter.
This project was intended to demonstrate a viable upgrade path for Mirage F1 operators, particularly
South African Air Force
"Through hardships to the stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, equipment ...
(SAAF). The South African government ultimately decided to acquire the
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
Saab JAS 39 Gripen
The Saab JAS 39 Gripen (; English: ''griffin'') is a light single-engine multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab AB. The Gripen has a delta wing and canard configuration with relaxed stabilit ...
; despite this, the fighter was a technical success and has been used for decades by Aerosud as a company demonstrator. The programme was also viewed as a useful primer for future international collaboration.
During the mid-1990s, Aerosud embarked on a diversification into the commercial aviation market, becoming involved in the design of
galleys and other interior systems. Aerosud since became an internationally recognised supplier for interior systems.
Around 2000, Aerosud embarked upon major expansion of its production capacity. From the company's premises outside of
Pretoria, South Africa
Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa.
Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...
, it manufactures around 2,000 parts and assemblies per day and supplies these to the assembly lines of various international aerospace manufacturers, including
Airbus
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: ' ...
,
Boeing
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and p ...
,
BAE Systems, and
AgustaWestland
AgustaWestland was an Anglo-Italian helicopter design and manufacturing company, which was a wholly owned subsidiary of Finmeccanica (now known as Leonardo). It was formed in July 2000 as an Anglo-Italian multinational company, when Finmeccani ...
. Under a 15-year strategic partnership deal with Boeing, Aerosud constructed a new manufacturing plant near Pretoria to build cabin elements, having been appointed the sole supplier of interior
composite
Composite or compositing may refer to:
Materials
* Composite material, a material that is made from several different substances
** Metal matrix composite, composed of metal and other parts
** Cermet, a composite of ceramic and metallic materials
...
s and
thermoplastic
A thermoplastic, or thermosoft plastic, is any plastic polymer material that becomes pliable or moldable at a certain elevated temperature and solidifies upon cooling.
Most thermoplastics have a high molecular weight. The polymer chains associate ...
frames across Boeing's range.
By 2006, the firm has become deeply involved in numerous civilian and military aviation engineering projects, covering aspects such as design, development, prototyping, manufacture and in service support. That same year, Aerosud was appointed to perform both the design and manufacture of interior elements of the
Airbus A400M Atlas
The Airbus A400M AtlasNamed after the Greek mythological figure. is a European four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military (now Airbus Defence and Space) as a tactical airlifter with strategic capab ...
. The firm's involvement in the programme continued even following the SAAF's decision to cancel its A400M order. Two years prior, the company had become involved as a
subcontractor
A subcontractor is an individual or (in many cases) a business that signs a contract to perform part or all of the obligations of another's contract.
Put simply the role of a subcontractor is to execute the job they are hired by the contractor f ...
in the
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a series of Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus.
The A320 was launched in March 1984, Maiden flight, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air F ...
, manufacturing elements such
leading edge
The leading edge of an airfoil surface such as a wing is its foremost edge and is therefore the part which first meets the oncoming air.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, ...
wing components and the avionics bay subassemblies.
During late 2009, Aerosud commenced work on the upgrading of the SAAF's fleet of
Pilatus PC-9
The Pilatus PC-9 is a single-engine, low-wing tandem-seat turboprop training aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. Designed as a more powerful evolution of the Pilatus PC-7, the PC-9's first flight was made in May 1984 after ...
trainer aircraft, installing a
glass cockpit and a modern avionics suite, as well as removing obsolete equipment. That same year, the South African defense company
Paramount Group
Paramount Group is a Global Aerospace & Defence group of companies operating in the global defence, internal security and peacekeeping industries. Established in South Africa in 1994, it offers a range of military aircraft, armoured vehicles, ma ...
purchased a 19% stake in Aerosud.
During the 2010s, the company became involved in the
AHRLAC Holdings Ahrlac
The AHRLAC (Advanced High Performance Reconnaissance Light Aircraft) is a South African light reconnaissance and counter-insurgency aircraft developed by AHRLAC Holdings, a joint venture between the Paramount Group and Aerosud. It is designed ...
, a light attack and reconnaissance aircraft; it was originally being developed as a
joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and economic risk, risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four rea ...
with Paramount Group.
[Majumdar, Dave]
"South Africa's Dirt-Cheap War Machine."
''The National Interest'', 9 October 2015.
Aerosud restructured in 2014 with the
Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) Castle Grande was a real estate development in Arkansas about 10 miles south of Little Rock. It came into National news as a result of the Whitewater investigations. The project was a lot where Jim McDougal hoped to build a microbrewery, shopping ...
taking up 25% shareholding in Aerosud Holdings and some of the founding members exciting the company partially or completely. Aerosud Aerospace was sold to
Paramount Group
Paramount Group is a Global Aerospace & Defence group of companies operating in the global defence, internal security and peacekeeping industries. Established in South Africa in 1994, it offers a range of military aircraft, armoured vehicles, ma ...
and subsequently renamed as Paramount Aerospace, whilst Aerosud Innovation and Training Centre (ITC) that housed the development of the
AHRLAC aircraft was spun out in a separate group owned at the time by the Potgieter and Itchikowitz families. Following the restructuring Aerosud focused solely on commercial aerospace activities.
During September 2014, a three-party collaborative agreement was signed by
Denel
Denel SOC Ltd is a South African state-owned aerospace and military technology conglomerate established in 1992. It was created when the manufacturing subsidiaries of Armscor were split off in order for Armscor to become the procurement agency ...
Aerostructures, Aerosud and Airbus to create a 10-year investment plan for the development of more sophisticated manufacturing techniques; the agreement was viewed as a step towards a greater presence on the competitive global supply chain of Airbus and other
original equipment manufacturer
An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...
s. With the demise of
Denel
Denel SOC Ltd is a South African state-owned aerospace and military technology conglomerate established in 1992. It was created when the manufacturing subsidiaries of Armscor were split off in order for Armscor to become the procurement agency ...
Aerostructures and the chronic financial troubles South African Airways (as an off-take catalyst for Airbus) finds itself in this agreement never developed its potential.
Since 2014 Aerosud expressed its interest in adding structural composites as a new offering. It acquired a patented and innovative tooling and production technology,
Cellular Core Technology (CCT)
Cellular may refer to:
*Cellular automaton, a model in discrete mathematics
* Cell biology, the evaluation of cells work and more
* ''Cellular'' (film), a 2004 movie
*Cellular frequencies, assigned to networks operating in cellular RF bands
*Cell ...
that allows the production of complex shaped, multi cell structural composites in a single curing process. The technology allows for highly optimized designs (weight reduction) and reduced labour cost with a lot of assembly work eliminated. Although the technical community at OEMs showed a lot of enthusiasm for CCT only prototype\demonstrator components have been successfully launched.
References
{{reflist
External links
Official homepageCipro listing
Manufacturing companies established in 1990
Aircraft manufacturers of South Africa
Manufacturing companies based in the City of Tshwane
Organisations based in Pretoria
1990 establishments in South Africa