The South African air force is giving their 39 Oryx helicopters a full upgrade. The upgrade, which will be a multi-million Rand project, includes avionic and engine upgrades with a general renovation of all systems. The Oryx helicopters have been in use for the past 15 years.

These helicopters are much needed as they are used for search and rescue off mountains, border protection, transporting peacekeepers and assisting isolated polling stations. As reported by the Times Live, the Director of air force Acquisitions has said that they will learn from the upgrade and use the knowledge on their upcoming renovation of their Rooivalk attack helicopter. The Rooivalk project will be worked on by Airbus and Denel Aviation. Deputy Chief of the air force, Major-General Gerald Malinga says that the skills learnt in the upcoming renovations will be passed down to others in the future, creating “an entire new skills base for the country.”