Rooivalk Attack Helicopter of The South African Air Force 

Proudly South African.

Without a doubt one of the best attack helo's in the world. It's too bad so few were made.

I once heard that the IHTS (Integrated Helmet Targeting System) was pioneered on the Rooivalk, and that the technology was later adapted by American and others. Is this true?

i am in love with the Rooivalk! when i become an army officer... this is gonna be my helicopter :D

My father designed the 20mm cannon on this heli...

I'd imagine it to be broadly similar in capabilities to most western attack choppers, but as for aesthetics, the South Africans have one seriously sexy beast right there!

Apart from the fact that they are all attack helicopters, there is no commonality between Rooivalk, Tiger or any of the other mentioned machines. They were also not made out of Pumas that were"taken apart:" as suggested by Luke Pym. It is a "new build" aircraft

To Danieb52 and Taishet. Although sharing components with Oryx and SuperPuma (AS 332) like its Makila engines , it is a completely new aircraft that shares almost nothing with any other aircraft (some weapons and avionics etc). It is a heavier machine than both Z 10 (and A 129 and Tiger which are both substantially lighter) roughly about the same as the AH 64. It is interesting to note that , although not the highest top speed, it has the highest cruising speed of all gunship helicopters.

xX1creedfanXx, my father also worked on the 20mm cannon. He helped design the pupil guidance system, ie, where pilot looks the gun aims.

Good south africa from algeria

Wicked Gunship.

Woaw Amazing South Africa

we are all talking about APACHE, COBRA, KAMOV, MIL MI, AGUSTA WESTLAND, EUROPCOPTER TIGER , TAK 129 .. BUT WE FORGOT SOMETHING... THE TRUE BEAST, DENEL AH2 ROOVIAK

Awesome denel is improving it

As an engineer, only fools develops from scratch, you take what you have and optimise with caution. Old school did the same, nobody worth anything is gung ho. Baby steps keeps peeps alive.

I vote for ka-50. Truly the best

Rooivalk shares dynamic components with Oryx (engines, gearboxes and rotor systems) but obviously has a completely new fuselage

only the best pilots well done

The pilot Flying is in the Rear or front?

MONSTER HUGE PACKS.

Ek is 'n Trotse Suid Afrikaner. Was daardie tyd in die Weermag met goeie Dissipline!!!

Do they still fly or rusted now. Awesome heli

That's true since the Rooivalk was manufactured in 1988. That would then place SA 4th.

The pioneers of the modern army we see today. Sadly reduced to a bunch of boy scouts.

A decade later only a couple of them are still flyable.

What allot of you don't know is that the Rooivalk is made of exactly the same parts as the puma/oryx. The South Africans designed the Rooivalk during its apartheid era, when the was a weapon embargo on S.A, so that they could take apart a puma and construct a rooivalk, hence the similarities in the main and tail rotor, the engines, avionics,etc. They simply changed the shape to give it attack helicopter characteristics. This also explained why the project was so expensive.

Dear Africa Travel Channel, I'm admin of the modelkitindo channel, I ask permission to hanging this video on my channel as a teaser, and I will enclose your channel name on the video and link in description ... thank you

Now that we have an actual soldier as Defence Minister, maybe the NZDF could look at purchasing something like this. Our Airforce has been without offensive capability for a long time now and attack helicopters like this are versatile enough for our mountainous and coastal terrains. Maybe something like the Sea Cobra, resistant to salt water corrosion, or so I assume.

looks like Eurocopter Tiger ,but with more muscles !

engineered before jacob and cardres

Where does out Airforce stand now I wonder?

Its so awesome if your dad helped design the rooivalk.

Impressive Well done

Nice video!

Good South Africa good.

... and spare parts are available at airports around the world :-)

Qual é o preço deste helicóptero ????

Excellent reportage

nice one give us hope for our military

Pragtige masjien

You might want to investigate what the word "documentary" means. This is not it.

I wonder how many left

You don't see it at all? Of course there are a LOT of differences but they are so similar in basic design that to the untrained eye they may be mistaken for each other. Its the difference between a Mirage 3, a Nesher, Kfir and a Cheetah. They differ a lot but you can see the basic design is almost similar. I know they are essentially developed from each other but that's not the point I'm trying to make.

Try selling your Rooivalk attack helicopter to our Philippine Air Force they might like this. Then later on, they can make some field testing and,eventually, buy this.

Were any of these ever sold (other than to the saaf) ? I’ve heard conflicting stories

I think the Italians beat you by a slight margin with the Agusta A129 introduced in 1983

south africa

It’s a shame that the Turks chose the t-129 over this beast was a big mistake

A shame the Yanks f'd up any chance of this gunship playing a role anywhere.

One mean machine, but I still go w/ the Mi-35 Hind and or the ATE Superhind...

But yeah the similarities are there, they're not copies but they are similar in airframe, cockpit, landing gear, tailrotor etc. as for the technologies incorporated into the aircraft such as engines, radar, fire control systems, weapons, etc. of course they would be different.

there's a fridge with beers in there

ΑΗ-64 already lost its 4th place..... Now: 1.Ka50/52 2.Mil Mi28 3.CAIC Z-10 4.Denel Rooivalk 5.ΑΗ 64

Really? Then what was the third country that developed an attack helicopter separate from US and Russian helicopters and what is the helicopters name?

one proud

It was perhaps harsh to make that accusation so I apologize. Still there is a resemblance between the Tiger and Rooivalk though that might just be an indicator of shared technology and development like with the Olifant TTD which incorporates technology from the German Leopard 2 and from SA local development. As for your claim about Kamov: apparently according to AviationWeek they formed the basis of the design but the rest are all designed by chinese engineers.

Big hug

Malaysia nearly acquire this chopper.unfortunately,asian monetary crisis denying our hope to bring it back flying into our skies

While most specs on fact sheet indicate this to be quite a very remarkable gunship,but still,at $40mil USD (according to Wiki.figs.& if true),it is at twice the cost of renowned US Apaches.(Again,if true) At such retail rates,I suppose this aircraft is looking to go in the similarly erroneous direction of the otherwise c/would've been "one hot seller" of a defense item;-the magnificent French MBT;'Leclerc',which mindlessly goes for,at an exorbitant 3 to 3.5 X that of either Abram,Chally or Leopard 2's cost.There is a must for manufacturers to essentially be firmly grounded to the fact,how much distance or more ridiculously steep prices,patron-nations are willing or able to go & continue on to pursue such implements as assets for their national defense objectives.For cash in essence,essentially duz not come about as would in simply printing them right-off the printing-press contraption.If such practices continue,nations that have vital need,but are somewhat cash strapped to defend their nations' territorial integrity,will have little choice,but to turn to cheaper (eg.Russian,Chinese,Indian,Pakistani or South American arms) alternatives,that are by no means at all anything useless.

Agusta A129 Mangusta, Italy... 1983 first flight and introduced not long after

...............but not proudly South African Airforce...The Rooivalk were the product of an Airforce when it used to be world class and FULLY functional...

The Yankees didn’t want to buy this from us so they went and designed their own version known as the Apache

😍😍😍🚁

awesome beast

the south african air force the new helicopter is the (rooivalk). red-kastrel in english.

south africa was the third country in the world after the US and Russia to develope their own attack helicopter....and i say it that way because i only count the best.

Long before 94 😂😂

the south africa air force have a new rotary helicopter. in this case is helicopter gunship.

I heard the only made 12 of them. South Africa is falling apart anyway.

The ANCs Airforce are now 88% dysfunctional.

👌👌

Not made by ANC that’s for sure 😂😂😂😂

It's an insult to my country's armed forces that we favoured the apache over the rooivalk. Politics nothing else could explain that decision.

wys hulle boys

Once proud ......now ashamed .

Fact is all the other countries are creating new tech or revamping the old.., so what are we waiting for South Africans...... We need alot of everything in the Sandf......

Let me make it clear. White South Africa.

if ucle sam would allow us to install the hell fire misilles on this machine than we can say we have achieved something

No pilots left to fly them these days....

"bla bla bla !" translated: I don't like it but I know you are right.

south africa was not the third country in the world after the US and Russia to develope their own attack helicopter

sell it to the philippine army

To bad our country is going to shit . To think south africa were ahead of even the usa in alot of weapons an vehicles . Now even Elon musk dont want to know anything about his home country south africa

Roayl ti famile

If modern attack helicopters have to stand any chance these days, they have to be small, agile, verry fast, quit, armed with a verry acurate gun and aquiped with trackingmissile deflecting systems or electronic jamming aquipement. Drones are more likely the future... Not this crap!

Wassup with all these races comments over Who make helicopters an Who can make helicopters

😼😎

But still I think all new attack helicopter designs since from Europe and China are rip offs from the Rooivalk... you can clearly see it in the designs of the Eurocopter Tiger and the Z10 from China.

Attack Puma

🤔

Born Suid Afrikaans

I want one. Even though Zuma designed and build it single handed.

i am just here to read the racists comment don't mind me

I used to believe in South Africa, now it's just a pile of shit Are these Heli's still flying today?

pisawsit

Зачем неграм такие вертолёты, для кого это всё теперь?

Jou go SANDF jou go

it looks like a hind and who would want to copy that turd with a rotor?

Those pilots are really exposed....bad design

bla bla bla !