Rooivalk Attack Helicopter of The South African Air Force

The Denel AH-2 Rooivalk in action at a military simulation. This South African attack helicopter was developed to act as a close support gunship for the SADF during the Angolan Border War. The Rooivalk is rated as one of the top 10 attack helicopters in the world. #saaf #rooivalk #attackhelicopter

[@liamcalpine]

Proudly South African.

[@heavygustav]

Liam The Intergrated Helmet Targeting System for this heli was the first to be built in the world

[@1joshjosh1]

South Africa is falling apart. Not even property rights are any good there.

[@floydlight7601]

@@1joshjosh1 what is your point ass hole

[@gfys69]

Except for the French Engines, French Transmissions, French power trains and French dynamic elements (except for the tail rotor), French landing gear (except the castor for the tail wow), French Helmet Mounted Display, SAAB fuel tanks, and some obsolete 1980s avionics.

[@1joshjosh1]

@@gfys69 And one French white flag to be deployed at any sign of hostilities. Oh wait a minute you would need a French pilot for that.

[@sheckylee5760]

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

[@LiquidNation100]

Production has been restarted on request of the SANDF.

[@_UCS_SwapnilSahaiSrivastav]

@@LiquidNation100 fake news....the line is shut

[@christobosman5710]

@@LiquidNation100 how can that be , their is no money even to pay the salary's of the military personnel all thanks to the useless new black corrupt regime called anc .

[@robertdavidson6354]

Cr@p...cant even do a 360 loop. Lynx could do that 20 years ago!!

[@christobosman5710]

@@robertdavidson6354 who wants to do a loop in a war situation , it could handle better than the Apache and was also issued with better electronic warfare than other attack helicopters so forget about your lynx theirs no comparison.

[@RealWitblitz]

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?

[@AussiesnAnzacs]

not completely true the the hmd originated from soviet technology for the mikoyan to use with the R-60/AA-8 Aphid Missile system in 1974 but SAAF were the first to modernise it and use it in their mirage fighters as well as saab on the Jas-35's in a large scale not long after that US and Russia developed it further and deployed it on a mass scale with f-16's mig 29s then it followed into attack other applications such as gunships and now is being explored for infantry for many years now

[@joburg76]

Yes it is true i lived in SA for 17 years and i remember hearing talk of the helmet in the early 80s or late 70s

[@Apoc_Bone_Daddy]

Indeed it is true ... Americans and Israelis love stealing ideas and claiming them as their own

[@freedomvigilant1234]

Israel and the US had a covert agreement to develop new hardware with the South Africans during the time of the Border War. One of my friends served in the SADF and remembers a USAF Hercules delivering an engine for one of his units vehicles.

[@MrAjay3234]

i agree with you on that 100%

[@coxsen999]

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

[@gfys69]

Except for French Engines, French Transmissions, French power trains and French dynamic elements (except for the tail rotor), French landing gear (except the castor for the tail wow), French Helmet Mounted Display, SAAB fuel tanks, slap in some obsolete 1980s avionics."New Build" from a super puma/oryx

[@camischar3692]

​@gfys69 French Helmet display 😂😂😂😂😂 . Dude do you not know your history. South africa is the nation that invented Helmet display. Then usa an all other nation's stole the technology. Go look it up you clown .

[@xX1creedfanXx]

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

[@danieb52]

Wasn't the GI-2 the South African licensed copy of the French GIAT F-2?

[@etd5791]

danieb52 the chinese copy. South Africa made it good and better. so lets call it inspired to use their idea and make it better or equal to lol. just saying. The word copy does not suit SA. but whatever these guys do its brilliant for a small nation and its producers to be able to go this far

[@etd5791]

I wish i could make contact with your dad or anyone who does military designing etc. is he still in SA? i have so many very good ideas but i have no clue how to either sell them or have someone rate me on my efforts with some good rewards of course .

[@etd5791]

Ettie CD Oh and i still say God Bless South Africa and its few good people

[@marcosambrosino]

@@etd5791 I totally agree: as a nation subjected to international embargo, SA redesigned, improved and literally invented many things in the Defense Industry.

[@ahmuh1306]

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

[@Africatravelchannel]

Wicked Gunship.

[@0Concept14]

Attack helicopter, not gunship. a gunship is an attack version of a utility helicopter.

[@coxsen999]

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.

[@danieb52]

Indeed, I've read more about the aircraft recently but I read somewhere that the Tiger and the Rooivalk are definitely related. At least some co-development occurred in the 90s between Eurocopter and the newly formed Denel Aviation (formed from the Atlas Aircraft Corp.), though these might have only been rumours.

[@coxsen999]

danieb52 The only relationship between the two was that Eurocopter was going to market the 2 together, as complimentary to each other. As we know this never happened with Eurocopter actively preventing the Rooivalk from being offered in a competitive manner

[@WorldTopLists10]

Awesome denel is improving it

[@fethierturkhd1768]

Woaw Amazing South Africa

[@1joshjosh1]

Amazing South Africa before 1994 yep

[@FGV_Gravity]

Yes before 1994, don't come to this country now

[@valeriygorbatenko1162]

I vote for ka-50. Truly the best

[@roysmiltneek5425]

only the best pilots well done

[@Juan777Olivier]

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

[@lendlmetcalf3767]

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

[@emiliodeolim-thefisherman9957]

Na I think the scout's are more capable then the fat illiterate troops we have

[@kotzelouw5146]

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

[@dumperspydiehoe298]

Dit was toe nog n weermag. Nou weet niemand wat aan gaan nie en daar word skaars gevlieg 😢

[@TimmaMadiba]

The pilot Flying is in the Rear or front?

[@andrewrobertson3894]

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.

[@Luke-hq1pu]

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.

[@eugeneuys9029]

Ag jou poes man die boere het hom gebou

[@phoenixrising427]

engineered before jacob and cardres

[@emilschneider9974]

Where does out Airforce stand now I wonder?

[@thulanikidwellmxhamli1007]

Good South Africa good.

[@isaacbadza3075]

Impressive Well done

[@svintsitsky]

Pragtige masjien

[@loftsatsympaticodotc]

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

[@garynew9637]

Yes, this is important!

[@JoaoMituka]

Qual é o preço deste helicóptero ????

[@MilaT2103]

south africa

[@rodneyclinton1751]

I wonder how many left

[@refiandikrisnawan]

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

[@davidjardenil8393]

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.

[@danieb52]

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.

[@danieb52]

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.

[@Boulevardwheels]

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

[@dumpiedamen1524]

one proud

[@shawntepitts488]

Big hug

[@Juan777Olivier]

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

[@Sub___Zero]

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

[@NkosanaMakhubele]

Americans won't like this🤣

[@nacerkhamou3149]

awesome beast

[@salomonandreoosthuysen6310]

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

[@94snapazzurri]

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

[@ThePaulz80]

Our government should check Rooivalk assessment over capabilities and costs, instead they opt for UK Lynx helicopters, that's sucks.

[@Ginger4789]

Long before 94 😂😂

[@Liverpool2102MHB]

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

[@pauldbeer]

The Apache first flew in the middle 1970' and the Rooivalk's first flight was in Aug 1990. So no, they didn't!

[@haouamhichem6627]

😍😍😍🚁

[@marconagel659]

wys hulle boys

[@Ginger4789]

Not made by ANC that’s for sure 😂😂😂😂

[@NitrogenPurged]

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.

[@salomonandreoosthuysen6310]

The ANCs Airforce are now 88% dysfunctional.

[@arashshahmaleki4114]

👌👌

[@hitchslap8254]

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.

[@emiliodeolim-thefisherman9957]

What's the major differences between them?

[@antonkruger8197]

Once proud ......now ashamed .

[@MrMalimaali]

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

[@danieb52]

The local Makopa anti tank missile is better than the Hellfire. It can penetrate more than 1.35 metres of tank armour and can be fired from 10km away where the hellfire can only fire from 5km away.

[@coxsen999]

Mokopa is substantially more useful than Hellfire (range , hitting power etc) and is available for Roovalk and export. It is also available in a MMW version (As is Hellfire as used in the Longbow version of AH 64). Rooivalk is also MMW capable with modification. The Ingwe is a slightly older SA missile, roughly the equivalent to Hellfire and is used on Rooivalk

[@danieb52]

coxsen999 Since the ingwe is a SACLOS missile I think its more the equivalent of an improved TOW missile.

[@diddy9401245]

hahaha is that possible though

[@MrMalimaali]

this is one of the most advance attack helicopter in the African continent a hell fire misillewould increase the range and efficiency

[@revolutionnow5227]

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

[@mensilak]

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

[@albertgermono5603]

sell it to the philippine army

[@Juan777Olivier]

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

[@mrbokke81]

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

[@Nikolizky]

Lol, is the current crop stupid.

[@mrbokke81]

+Sturmbannführer Tino They might have 1 WHITE guy they use on special occasions. The SA of today couldn't defend itself against a blow up boat filled with drunk women STUPID...

[@Nikolizky]

I spent 5 years in SA Military, I think a lot of stupid people are at the top, severe budget cuts and gross neglect. And that affects and demoralizes everyone down to a Private. I'm just glad I left. Although I must mention that they paid my tuition and everything through university.

[@KingofCabal]

Bullshit, just watched 3 of them fly today at Waterkloof. Also they do use them for UN and AU activities.

[@ndumisoluthuli3905]

Bullshit all ten of them are flying get your facts straight

[@adusco127]

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

[@keelieishable1]

JHON DOE GO AWAY FUCK FACE HAVE YOU LEFT YET//// ASS WIPE

[@tveirken1]

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!

[@dave-ql2ri]

'Murica

[@tveirken1]

T. A. Chacon What are you? 5?

[@sieandknsproductions3491]

Attack Puma

[@riaanpotgieter475]

😼😎

[@richardmphahlaphahla3119]

🤔

[@MrMalimaali]

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

[@jethrowessels]

Poesof

[@MrMalimaali]

@@jethrowessels congratulations 🤣🤣🤣

[@bimbagoldberg8097]

pisawsit

[@nigelsoden3389]

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

[@Brent-Arends]

Yes, I saw it in Action 1 and a half years ago at an Demonstration at AFB Overburg

[@Rhodesianeverdie]

Зачем неграм такие вертолёты, для кого это всё теперь?

[@ВасилийПерепечкин-е4ъ]

Слава УКРАИНИ, Самые лучшие вертолеты это в УКРАИНЕ, самые лучшие в мире моторы для вертолетов это УКРАИНА. Слава ВЕЛИКОЙ УКРАИНЕ

[@tonybletas930]

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!

[@ВасилийПерепечкин-е4ъ]

Слава УКРАИНИ, Самые лучшие вертолеты это в УКРАИНЕ, самые лучшие в мире моторы для вертолетов это УКРАИНА. Слава ВЕЛИКОЙ УКРАИНЕ

[@deonolivier273]

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.

[@Daud76]

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

[@Daud76]

@imperator parva Goodness me! I am reading what David Phillpotts has to say and can only conclude that he is too excited. Cabin fever, maybe? 🤭

[@gfys69]

@@Daud76 shame, rather try to keep to the facts. Braai myths sound so much better though.

[@Daud76]

@@gfys69 What are you harping on about?

[@gfys69]

@@Daud76 maybe you should try reading. All this fake pride in the fake 'inventions' and 'pioneering' of old things. What a legacy they left you. 😂

[@Daud76]

@@gfys69 Maybe you should drink your morning coffee before it gets cold. 🤔

[@ljbunso4450]

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

[@الجيشالنوميديالجزائري]

Good south africa from algeria

[@icy2527]

looks like Eurocopter Tiger ,but with more muscles !

[@jamesdaniels2378]

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

[@agoodchristianpilot159]

James Daniels Apache works a lot better than this does, we also have Uh-60Ds

[@juliehaward7270]

@@agoodchristianpilot159 America has never had any arms embagos. South Africa had to beg, borrow or steal! Plus whatever they got they made it better. Just look at most US vehicle designs they've used in Iraq n Afghanistan which resemble alot of the old SA vehicles, the striker v Rattel. The rattels over, 40yrs old n still beats the striker hands down.

[@gfys69]

Yeah, nobody bought it because it was late, too expensive and relied on French parts (engines, dynamic elements, transmission, power train), meaning that you needed French blessing to keep it going (and who were marketing a cheaper more competitive helicopter anyway), had ancient obsolete avionics, anti amour missile 10 years late, no missile approach system, only 12 made, barely deployable until 23 years after its first flight. But hey, it was somehow the Americans' fault.

[@alexanderrosales7675]

No the Cuban army fucked them up at Cuito Cuanavale.

[@juliehaward7270]

Alexander Rosales no they didn’t other way round the SADF ruled the land n air! Wanker!

[@TheodoreAndor]

Let me make it clear. White South Africa.

[@Woljap007]

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

[@Medskywalker]

T129 is way more better wtf

[@doorkicker1896]

@@Medskywalker not better

[@Medskywalker]

@@doorkicker1896 better

[@ajvanmarle]

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

[@albanmahoudeau1779]

MONSTER HUGE PACKS.

[@jsvegter]

Its so awesome if your dad helped design the rooivalk.

[@coxsen999]

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

[@darrinrobinson3824]

no kidding numbnut

[@darrinrobinson3824]

thats what they done took all those components and built it around the engines ,gearboxes etc

[@coxsen999]

Darrin Robinson Bit of an ID10t are you? Why don't you stick to things more your age, like little Smurfs or so

[@darrinrobinson3824]

coxsen999 go fuck yourself you more like the simpsonsarsehole

[@coxsen999]

Darrin Robinson You eat with that mouth as well kid ?

[@danieb52]

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

[@1joshjosh1]

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

[@spikesism]

i don't know how manny thy buld but it was in apardheids years not after 1994

[@bangochupchup]

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

[@spykerhond7008]

there's a fridge with beers in there

[@DanieKoch]

Do they still fly or rusted now. Awesome heli

[@siphobala79]

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......

[@glandboys5811]

Roayl ti famile

[@beaggyboy]

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.

[@emergingloki]

Price is in South African Rand, not USD. At time of writing, exchange rate 1USD=13.7 Rand.

[@danieb52]

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.

[@ulisesvelez5846]

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

[@ulisesvelez5846]

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

[@danieb52]

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

[@HELIPORTVIDEO]

Nice video!

[@danieb52]

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.

[@gfys69]

That A129 that flew in 1983, 7 years before though. You can clearly see it in the design of the rooivalk. Awkward. But, of course, everyone was copying you. 😂 Even the Chinese (we will ignore how they extensively evaluated the A129). Phew. What a legacy!

[@patriotenfield3276]

Born Suid Afrikaans

[@lundideki7740]

nice one give us hope for our military

[@christianlebordelais]

Excellent reportage

[@127834]

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

[@spikesism]

i was in saaf in 1987 then i knew about the rooifalk the only helicopter that can fly upside down in the world thy don't whant to show you

[@gfys69]

@@spikesism Strange, it first flew in 1990.

[@pauldbeer]

@@spikesism Wrong! Many other helicopters can do loops and rolls! Even long before the Rooivalk even existed!! By the way, no helicopter can actually fly upside down, Some helicopters can momentarily go inverted with the use of momentum. The Rooivalk has a articulated rotorhead and that makes it a bit unique for a helicopter with that type of rotorhead to be able to do loops and rolls.

[@jaredkruger9750]

Yes they were. They entered service in 2011, after the 15 years of further development to meet the needs of the new saaf.

[@rickybosman6158]

Unfortunately not one, only consumer ,, SANDF.

[@mensilak]

bla bla bla !

[@dumpiedamen1524]

Jou go SANDF jou go

[@robertkwiatkowski3225]

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

[@danieb52]

Doesn't look anything like a hind, please get your eyes checked. Do you even know what a Hind-24/35 looks like?

[@josevarela834]

You are a turd yourself.