Denel Aeronautics

Denel Aeronautics is the aviation and aerospace division of Denel, the state-owned South African defence group, and one of the successors of the Atlas Aircraft Corporation. The division was created in 1992 when Atlas Aircraft was absorbed into Denel and was first named Denel Aviation. In 2006 its activities were split, with most manufacturing moving to a new Denel Aerostructures while Denel Aviation kept aircraft servicing and maintenance, and in 2017 the two were reunited and rebranded as Denel Aeronautics. It manufactures the Rooivalk attack helicopter, a programme inherited from Atlas Aircraft that began during the South African Border War, and it remanufactured Mirage III aircraft into the Cheetah into the late 1990s. It is also the dominant provider of aircraft maintenance and support for types flown by the South African Air Force, and serves other operators worldwide.