Seeing the Cheetah as a little kid at airshows is what sparked my love for aviation. I'm now an aircraft engineer, and I owe that all to this aircraft.
Its far more complicated than that. The final responsibility is on the ANC but their corruption and incompetence is just part of it. 1. Old government and western powers (UK&US) intentionally defanged the defence force before hand over to ANC. 2. Many airframes where retired after the border wars and many more were past or near expiration date e.g. Dakotas, Alouettes, kudus etc... 3. Old gov just didn't have the money to properly recapitalize the airforce and navy. 4. Anytime anyone in the even thinks of increasing defense budget, the liberals (DA and "NGOs") are screaming bloody murder
@@andilengcobo9825what utter rubbish! The anc upgraded almost all the top tier equipment in the 90's. Ok the deals were fraught with corruption and backhanded deals, but none less they bought state of the art kit.
This plane climbs 46,000 feet per second (05:05), which is exactly the kind of attention to detail that makes Dark Skies renowned for sheer carelessness.
I was just about to post something when I decided I should see who else heard that claim. FOIW....its ROC is about 46,000-56,000 ft/minute...depending on the model.
Well researched and good pronunciation. A few little known facts, the Cheetah featured the first look-down-shoot-down helmet in military service. In the early 2000s a US F15 squadron came over for friendly exercises. The final score was tied between the F15 and Cheetah. The US pilots were surprised at how nimble the aircraft is and also how difficult to spot in a dogfight. This aircraft is a testament to South African ingenuity and engineering prowess.
All thanks to the western leftist academic 'intellectuals' falling in line with their communist eastern bloc 'counsellors'......... Leftists are all a bunch of bedwetters.
@@louwvandermerwe178 and you know what 🥳 Degaulle embargo Israël.. so CIA managed to get ATAR engines from ??? And refurbish to Israël... and Israël sold kfir versions to S.A finally mirage iII everywhere originals/copies/hybrides 🥳
@@erniegouws7262 There was a time when south Africa was known for something other than Apartheid? I mean its not secret why the other country mainly known for apartheid Israel was the bed fellow.
I remember seeing posters promoting the Cheetah from my boy scouts hall before getting to see one at an Airshow. I was so proud to have an indigenous fighter since I’ve always been obsessed with aviation.
Nonsens man - waar kry jy jou stats?? Duim suig stats is hoekom niemand meer enige iemand glo wat hulle op die tipe sites sit nie. Maar ten minste jy se TWEE - as jy oordryf - doen dit proper. Se sommer al die vliegtuie is in hulle moer in ALMAL - lieg soos n vlieg (sonder feite of references) doen dit proper as jy wil lieg - se al die vliegtuie, helicopters is nie vliegbaar nie, behalwe die duikbote en die nuwe badgers. As iemand jou eerste lieg gaan glo sal hulle die 2de een ook glo.
Very proud to have been part of that. 2 Sqr often brought their Cheetah's to AFB LBW, where I was stationed. That included the Cheetah C as well. Brilliant professionals.
A small correction. The Cheetah was intended as an interim or stopgap upgrade while the fourth-generation Carver was under development. The Cheetah was essentially the Kfir C7 with an upgraded Atar-9K-50-12 engine instead of the J79. The R-Darter and A-Darter missiles were a massive advancement over the old Kukri, R550, and R530 missiles (comparable to the IRIS-T and AMRAAM). The 85th Squadron was an advanced flying school, not a "flying skull." Sadly, the Cheetah's service with Draken is winding down because the Air Force decided to use more advanced aircraft as adversaries.
The inventors of Helmet Mounted Display Sights, ability to shoot missiles off-bore. Was revolutionary technology. With South Africa still leading edge in the technology, and still involved in the development and manufacturing in US and EU systems.
@@korybeckwith834 It was very simple, and wasn't really used, the missiles could not turn well enough to make it useful. Maybe the R-73 would've changed that.
@@zanderlabuschagne2368 Ive read at a air show (Paris maybe) russian agent stole a HDMS from a South African display desk. Not sure if this is true though.
Great upload! Thanks for the follow up from the Mirage to my favorite! Should have dug a bit deeper for the end and mentioned the Atlas Carver project that never was.
The Mirage III was never slow. It's original ATAR pushed it to Mach 2. Dogfighting, well, I've personally seen both F16 & F15s in gun footage when I worked on them as an Armament Fitter. Flew supersonic in the D model. They were the premier fighter of the time. :) Great vid :)
Eskom was officially the world #1 power utility, SAA was the world's #1 commercial airline, and we had various other #1 positions. Political ideology and pro-communism don't result in good governance, ever.
The Cheetah had a Kfir engine. The testing was done at Langebaanweg Air Base in the early 80's . Proudly South African ingenuity ! Now, the SANDF is on crunches !
@@yoamal1187 The whole mod was done with help from Israel. There were Israelis at LBW. The story about the engine then was a secret or something. I was stationed at LBW and was told it's a Kfir engine. I didn't work on that project. Ps. At that stage SA would receive spares from another buyer, and not direct. It's possible that the Israelis supply the Kfir engine, and the USA turned a blind eye. Remember, it was still the times of the cold war. The SANDF had Super Frelons, Puma and Alouette helicopters. And we got spares through other channels !
The Cheetah C was fitted with an upgraded French Atar engine. Later the Ds were also fitted with it. The E never had it. None of them had the J79 fitted as the Kfir. There was testing with a Russian engine in the early 90s at Overberg.
@@yoamal1187 It wasn't the best engine in any case. The J79 was notoriously smoky and a gas guzzler. The RAF chose the RR Spey over the J79 for its Phantoms.
The Grippen's only fly at shows and only if their is money for fuel. Oh yes and if there is a qualified pilot available. This really chips me off. Why did we buy the bloody planes if we never intended to maintain and use them.
Make it 6, and there is a very clever reason behind it. The maintenance contract was for 13 aircraft for 3 or 4 years, maybe even 5, I'm not sure. But the people involve know how long it took to get there. So why maintain 13, for say 4 years, if you can maintain 6 or 7, for a few years beyond that 4. The SAAF is still awesome, just in other areas. So knowing that they can't leave the SAAF at the hands of politicians, they have to look after themselves. Let that sink in a bit.
@@rynopot I hear you but , frankly only an idiot/s purchases a very expensive and strategically important piece of military hardware with a maintenance contract instead of a knowledge transfer program. We did not require the French to maintain our Mirages. I assume the initial technicians were trained by the French but there after we were left to our own devices, I assume! If anybody has more information on this, please share.
I don't think the USSR was interested in oil 🛢️ or diamonds 💎. They wanted a friendly govt at the tip of Africa where ships would pass through if the Suez Canal was under US control.
Had the privilege of seeing the Cheetah C demonstrated in Port Elizabeth probably around 1990. It was impressive in turning ability compared with the 2nd generation Mirage F1's . One aspect made it difficult to see as it moved away from the airfield - that later dark grey camouflage scheme made it almost impossible to identify against an overcast sky. It was also very loud on full afterburner! The real magic was actually the electronic warfare suite much of it developed locally and probably still fully or partially classified. Hats off to "the boys in Pretoria" They were also planning a full ground up 4th genner - a locally developed multi role fighter to be named The Atlas "Carver " (see Wikipedia page)
As a South African I'm proud that you covered this. If you can get info please do a cover story on the Milkor 380 UAV that my company produces or our 40mm Multiple Grenade Launcher or Super Six. I work for Milkor and it would definitely be interesting to see if you can get more information on our First UAV produced on the African continent by Milkor.
@@Mattio_1 yes we do. Milkor South Africa based in Cape Town Western Cape has built the first operational 18m long wingspan Drone or UAV. It's the biggest Military Drone produced on the African continent. It's called the Milkor 380 UAV.
@@Mattio_1 I work at Milkor Head Office in Centurion Gauteng so I know a lot. I'm based in the weapons Department where we produce Grenade Launchers that are sold to over 60 Countries worldwide.
@@Mattio_1 Milkor is a Civil Defence Company started in South Africa in the early 1980's. We have been going for over 40 years, we were the first Company in the world to produce a Multiple Grenade Launcher 40mm. Our MK1 variant of our Flagship gun called the Milkor Super Six is used by the US Marine Cor to this day. Obviously with that being said we have made substantial changes to the gun over the years to where it's better than our competition.
An interesting episode, that shows the determination of countries that will carefully use their existing resources to create a status of maintaining their sovereignty and separate themselves from undesirable regimes of their surrounding nations. The remarkable upgrades to these aircraft, helped them, to maintain this separate sovern status... An Excellent video and explanation of the upgrades and results made to create these Cheetah aircraft....
It is amazing how much excess capacity was built into 2nd gen fighter aircraft. Boeing once did a study at the behest of the DoD looking into the potential upgrade of the F4. What they came up with was close in performance to the new “teen” series of planes then coming into service and superior to anything coming from the east. Needless to say Grumman, McDonnel-Douglas, etc. we’re none too keen on seeing an F4 upgrade.
Ecuador ended up with the last Cheetah C, since the ecuadorian air force was replacing it's old Kfir jets, it seemed normal but unfortunately the current South African government that has issues with IAI and the total collapse of Denel has forced the fleet to be grounded, this is the problem with small suppliers that can't warrantee they can keep their products flying
Great series for seeing what's flown around out there even though it can be difficult to understand the implications of success... also have trouble distinguishing some different models - for some that I do kinda know I can see that the mixture of planes shown and highlighted can be confusing. thanks for sharing the entertainment (everyone)
Cheetah D was introduced first entering service in 1986. The Cheetah E was developed more or less in parallel and entered service in 1988. In parallel to those ran the R project which flew in 1987. The Cheetah C was developed last and first flew in 1991.
Great video. I never realised how much development went into the Cheetah. I just wander where all those skills ended up after 1994. The current Air Force struggles to keep their Saab Gripens flying.
I don't know where you got your info from, but we never began to lose the fight anywhere! We took names and kicked ass right up to the end of the war. Also, we developed leading edge, world class arms, armoured vehicles and helicopters. You may want to do a video on the Rooivalk.
I recall the end of that war. The South Africans were demobilising and handing in their weapons as per the peace deal when SWAPO sc*mbags tried to take advantage and launch an attack. I believe SWAPO were made to regret that.
I love what SA has accomplished in military technology. They have produced some fantastic military equipment. From fighters to helicopters IFVS etc!!!!
Awesome video. My only criticism was the start of the Border War as we called it, was when UNITA asked for South African assistance during the Angolan Civil War. That war expanded to include the liberation of Namibia.
Dis lekker om te sien hoeveel van ons Suid Afrikaners al die video gesien het in so kort tyd. Ons land het sy probleme, maar ons bly trots en die mense is wonderlik. Politiek in SA is en was ons probleem.
South Africa was in a war on its borders against Russia, Cuba and China. Today we have Gripens of which 2 are operational and no weapons were ever purchased for these aircraft. Such a proud moment.
America approved of it. In the 80s, America backed South Africa apartheid govt behind the scenes as it feared a Soviet backed overthrow of the apartheid govt. US Congress however passed laws restricting US help to South Africa due to public protests against the apartheid regime. So US turned to Israel (and France?) to supply equipment through the back door. Correct me if I'm wrong...
My understanding is that Draken rejected the Cheetahs because they were stored outside and in incredibly bad condition. I live nearby and have witnessed the Mirage F.1s being tested. Those are beautiful and loud!
The Cheetah C was actually the last ones produced, (new airframes , 38 ordered ) . The Cheetah E was a rebuild of Mirage 3 EZ aircraft while the Cheetah D was a rebuild of Mirage 3 DZ as well as D2Z aircraft (there were 4 DZ and 11 DZ2Z aircraft originally delivered
Also in early 2000s the Chilean Air Force bought a few Cheetah fighters to use them as spares source for the Mirage 5 and 50 in Chilean service before the introduction of the current F-16 fighters between 2006 and 2007.
South Africa wasn't fighting its neighbours, but rather defended the region against communist infiltration by Russia, East Germany and Cuba. Say it as it is. It just so happened that we, while marching northward, were contacted by SWAPO of Namibia, on their way south from Angola. We never intended to fight them, it just happened spontaneously. And the world supported the ungodly communist invasion and fought us instead. Thank you, UN, USA, for being such good friends. Who needs enemies, with friends like that?
Rate of climb of 46000 feet per second?!?!?!?!? That's pretty darn fast - like, very fast - mach 45, or twice the orbital speed :) Maybe per minute? Please fix :)
This is a wonderful video about Cheater ( upgraded Mirage 3) versions... by Israel 🇮🇱 and South Africa 🇿🇦 technologies capabilities. Approaches to Cheater R...as most progressive reconnaissance and fighters aircraft....thank you ( Dark skies) channel for sharing ... sometimes, international sanctions create opposition reflection resumes
The Cheetah indeed is a Nesher/Mirag 5, retained the original Atar 9 engine and was upgraded by improved aerodynamics and increased fuel capacity, , the Cuban pilots with their Migs were no match to the SAAF
Same, at first glance I thought it was a video about surveying vegetation while at high speed, which is something I am particularly interested in, but the red circle cleared it up for me
@@patrickporter6536incorrect. Mirage F1 AZ 216 was fitted with the SMR95 & so was Cheetah D2 847. The Mirage flew around 100 hours and the Cheetah D2 flew around 17 hours
I recall Argentina was interested in acquiring the Cheetah aircraft, but the UK government chimped out and had a hissy fit over the proposed acquiral, as they feared the Argentinians may have air superiority if any future conflicts emerged over the disputed Malvinas (Falklands) that are occupied by the British And that is how good the Cheetah was, scaring the British and seen as a threat to the British occupation of the Malvinas
You opening statement is wrong. South Africa was never at war against its neighbours who wanted independence for Namibia. South Africa was fighting Russian expansionism. There was never any issue about Namibian independence. It was mostly about not handing Namibia over to the USSR and its proxies. Funny thing then that once the USSR collapsed, SA granted Namibia their independence.
Your information is incorrect. the Cheetah C did not arrive first - rather it was the last of the Cheetah versions. It was first the trainer version D. Then the first version of the one seater came, the Cheetah E. And eventually the upgraded Cheetah C was deployed. There was the Cheetah B - looks like the D - but you can Google that. Like you should've done in the first place of the entire type
@@marcg1686 sth afrikan embassy gave us material to distribute when tambo TuTu were in australia necklacing winnie australian govt wanted whites out in sth afrika we lost the fight now every white nation except ex soviet bloc 👽 migrationreplacing white race sth afrika elec not guaranteed 24/ 7 its sad
@@marcg1686 I don’t know what they are going to fly , most aircraft are out of service for lack of parts and can’t afford the mechanics to fix them when they might be able to pay for the parts. Very sad state of affairs.
@@UpemmSad indeed. I remember a SAAF officer interviewed by Air Forces Monthly at the time the SAAF was looking for a replacement for the Cheetah/F1 fleet saying that they were bowled over by how expensive 4th generation fighters were compared to the Mirage 3. I've often wondered if purchasing additional Mirage 3 and 5 airframes and doing complete rebuilds wouldn't have been preferable. And perhaps uprating the Atar engines.
@@user-ez9en7vk2z Whatever the reason for apartheid there is no way that you can expect 80% of your population to accept being 2nd class citizens. Apartheid's demise was inevitable and to think otherwise is fantasy.
Seeing the Cheetah as a little kid at airshows is what sparked my love for aviation. I'm now an aircraft engineer, and I owe that all to this aircraft.
I used to watch them fly from AFB Ysterplaat's airshows! Always a crowd pleasing roar from that massive afterbuner.
@@tyronrossouw44 That's exactly where my passion was born.
Watching Glen Warden flying the Mirage 3CZ at the Virginia Airshows in Durban
I'm grateful we didn't have cellphones back then, that era inspired children (me included) to study science and engineering.
@@SparkBerry You still in SA? My son wants to go into your trade but not sure if there's a opportunity in SA?
Africa's best military at the time. Today, a meere shadow of its former might.
A once proud and feared airforce reduced to nothing. Well done ANC
Its far more complicated than that. The final responsibility is on the ANC but their corruption and incompetence is just part of it.
1. Old government and western powers (UK&US) intentionally defanged the defence force before hand over to ANC.
2. Many airframes where retired after the border wars and many more were past or near expiration date e.g. Dakotas, Alouettes, kudus etc...
3. Old gov just didn't have the money to properly recapitalize the airforce and navy.
4. Anytime anyone in the even thinks of increasing defense budget, the liberals (DA and "NGOs") are screaming bloody murder
Usa sit behind anc
@@andilengcobo9825what utter rubbish! The anc upgraded almost all the top tier equipment in the 90's.
Ok the deals were fraught with corruption and backhanded deals, but none less they bought state of the art kit.
@@andilengcobo9825More nonsense. The old government developed kit that was way better than anything available on the market at the time.
thales.....
This plane climbs 46,000 feet per second (05:05), which is exactly the kind of attention to detail that makes Dark Skies renowned for sheer carelessness.
What do you want when you’re pumping out videos on all these channels
It was able to achieve that. However, the pilot was flattened by the G-force and the plane would end up in outer space... 😎
SA mechanics are the best!
It would burn up on exit doing mach 42. A reverse meteorite 😅
I was just about to post something when I decided I should see who else heard that claim.
FOIW....its ROC is about 46,000-56,000 ft/minute...depending on the model.
Oh man, memories of seeing the Cheetah at Ysterplaat air shows in Cape Town as a child.
I was there on the day the first one landed at AFB YPT. It first did a few touch & go's, and finally came home against a black southeaster, to roost.
Well researched and good pronunciation. A few little known facts, the Cheetah featured the first look-down-shoot-down helmet in military service. In the early 2000s a US F15 squadron came over for friendly exercises. The final score was tied between the F15 and Cheetah. The US pilots were surprised at how nimble the aircraft is and also how difficult to spot in a dogfight. This aircraft is a testament to South African ingenuity and engineering prowess.
And now the country struggles to even keep the lights on.
@majungasaurusaaaa Still has amazing engineers, Doctors etc.
@@JustifyJustin Thanks to whites.
The South Africans really are quite remarkable people. Heartbreaking to see what's happening to them now.
All thanks to the western leftist academic 'intellectuals' falling in line with their communist eastern bloc 'counsellors'......... Leftists are all a bunch of bedwetters.
@@StudSupremehappening to every western nation 👽 taking over australia too ex commie nations not so
Yes, it is not easy to have the world against you, ask Isreal, they are in the same boat. At least they are still fighting for their existance.
The West sacrificed us. Our 'allies'. Now the West is finding out...
Cheetah E was the upgraded Mirage 3E. Cheetah C was refurbished Kfir airframes, Cheetah D was the Mirage DZ and D2Z airframes.
Thx ! I thaught Kfir has U.S engines or is it previous israelian version plz ? Thx
You are right. IAF had the J79 and the Cheetah Atar 9K50.
@@louwvandermerwe178 and you know what 🥳 Degaulle embargo Israël.. so CIA managed to get ATAR engines from ??? And refurbish to Israël... and Israël sold kfir versions to S.A finally mirage iII everywhere originals/copies/hybrides 🥳
There were also 5 Cheetah B’s which were from Nesher T Airframes 858-862
SUPER COOL!!!!when south africa was still a great country
😂😂😂 now we known for apartheid, a jail bird, and corruption 🤦🏻♂️
@@erniegouws7262 There was a time when south Africa was known for something other than Apartheid? I mean its not secret why the other country mainly known for apartheid Israel was the bed fellow.
Greetings from Cape Town…
I remember seeing posters promoting the Cheetah from my boy scouts hall before getting to see one at an Airshow. I was so proud to have an indigenous fighter since I’ve always been obsessed with aviation.
Today South Africa has only two fighter aircraft that remain 100% serviceable. What a disgrace.
And the great wait for Gripen armed cabins are still persistent.
its sad
Nonsens man - waar kry jy jou stats?? Duim suig stats is hoekom niemand meer enige iemand glo wat hulle op die tipe sites sit nie.
Maar ten minste jy se TWEE - as jy oordryf - doen dit proper. Se sommer al die vliegtuie is in hulle moer in ALMAL - lieg soos n vlieg (sonder feite of references) doen dit proper as jy wil lieg - se al die vliegtuie, helicopters is nie vliegbaar nie, behalwe die duikbote en die nuwe badgers.
As iemand jou eerste lieg gaan glo sal hulle die 2de een ook glo.
Very proud to have been part of that. 2 Sqr often brought their Cheetah's to AFB LBW, where I was stationed. That included the Cheetah C as well. Brilliant professionals.
A small correction. The Cheetah was intended as an interim or stopgap upgrade while the fourth-generation Carver was under development. The Cheetah was essentially the Kfir C7 with an upgraded Atar-9K-50-12 engine instead of the J79. The R-Darter and A-Darter missiles were a massive advancement over the old Kukri, R550, and R530 missiles (comparable to the IRIS-T and AMRAAM). The 85th Squadron was an advanced flying school, not a "flying skull." Sadly, the Cheetah's service with Draken is winding down because the Air Force decided to use more advanced aircraft as adversaries.
Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful jets. Win any beauty contest 😊
Thats all they would win 21C they are museum artifacts
@@Eric-kn4yn I am sure they can do basic defense in the area in peace time at least
@@reneegudjon3204no way very expensive to maintain basic defence get cheaper a/c counter insurgency or advanced trainners ok from australia
Amazing innovation.. South Africa seems a shadow of its former self
It is. We were the best of the best. Now we are a joke.
It is..
Because the whites are no longer in control.
....and now we can hardly put 1 Gripen into the air. So sad....😢
So much for "freedom"
i was pleasantly surprised you covered this topic . South African.
The Atlas Cheetah, developed amid the Border War of the 1980's, is based on the Israeli Kfir fighter, derived from the Mirage 5 / IAI Nesher.
Yeah, two apartheid states helping each other out, you love to see it, warms the heart.
The inventors of Helmet Mounted Display Sights, ability to shoot missiles off-bore.
Was revolutionary technology.
With South Africa still leading edge in the technology, and still involved in the development and manufacturing in US and EU systems.
aka Elbit Systems
I might be wrong but the HMS developed in South Africa came out before Israel developed one. Its not to say they were developed in parallel.
@@korybeckwith834 It was very simple, and wasn't really used, the missiles could not turn well enough to make it useful. Maybe the R-73 would've changed that.
@@zanderlabuschagne2368 Ive read at a air show (Paris maybe) russian agent stole a HDMS from a South African display desk. Not sure if this is true though.
@@korybeckwith834 Before 1978?
What year, then?
Great upload! Thanks for the follow up from the Mirage to my favorite! Should have dug a bit deeper for the end and mentioned the Atlas Carver project that never was.
The Mirage III was never slow. It's original ATAR pushed it to Mach 2. Dogfighting, well, I've personally seen both F16 & F15s in gun footage when I worked on them as an Armament Fitter. Flew supersonic in the D model. They were the premier fighter of the time. :) Great vid :)
Now South Africa hasn’t even got a regular electricity supply
Well known for our unique corruption capabilities 😂😂😂
Eskom was officially the world #1 power utility, SAA was the world's #1 commercial airline, and we had various other #1 positions. Political ideology and pro-communism don't result in good governance, ever.
The Cheetah had a Kfir engine. The testing was done at Langebaanweg Air Base in the early 80's . Proudly South African ingenuity ! Now, the SANDF is on crunches !
The kfir had a j79 engine, the Americans wouldn't sell it to the south africans
@@yoamal1187 The whole mod was done with help from Israel. There were Israelis at LBW. The story about the engine then was a secret or something. I was stationed at LBW and was told it's a Kfir engine. I didn't work on that project.
Ps. At that stage SA would receive spares from another buyer, and not direct. It's possible that the Israelis supply the Kfir engine, and the USA turned a blind eye. Remember, it was still the times of the cold war.
The SANDF had Super Frelons, Puma and Alouette helicopters. And we got spares through other channels !
The Cheetah C was fitted with an upgraded French Atar engine. Later the Ds were also fitted with it. The E never had it. None of them had the J79 fitted as the Kfir. There was testing with a Russian engine in the early 90s at Overberg.
The Cheetah was powered by Atar 9C or 9K50 engines. The Kfir was powered by the J-79 series engine.
@@yoamal1187 It wasn't the best engine in any case. The J79 was notoriously smoky and a gas guzzler. The RAF chose the RR Spey over the J79 for its Phantoms.
The ANC should be ashamed along with the fools who support them.
Today, only 2 Gripens are still active today. Sad decline.
The Grippen's only fly at shows and only if their is money for fuel. Oh yes and if there is a qualified pilot available. This really chips me off. Why did we buy the bloody planes if we never intended to maintain and use them.
Make it 6, and there is a very clever reason behind it.
The maintenance contract was for 13 aircraft for 3 or 4 years, maybe even 5, I'm not sure.
But the people involve know how long it took to get there. So why maintain 13, for say 4 years, if you can maintain 6 or 7, for a few years beyond that 4.
The SAAF is still awesome, just in other areas. So knowing that they can't leave the SAAF at the hands of politicians, they have to look after themselves.
Let that sink in a bit.
@@rynopotwhat a lame narcissist comment... your "not sure" but have the audacity to "let that sink in a bit" chirp.
@@rynopot I hear you but , frankly only an idiot/s purchases a very expensive and strategically important piece of military hardware with a maintenance contract instead of a knowledge transfer program. We did not require the French to maintain our Mirages. I assume the initial technicians were trained by the French but there after we were left to our own devices, I assume! If anybody has more information on this, please share.
@@user-ez9en7vk2z Did you wake up with your head in you arse?
Obviously I'll waste my time to TRY and explain that to you...
USA, USSR, China, and everybody else armed proxies to fight over oil and diamonds in that corner of the world. "Helped Namibians" my rear end!
I don't think the USSR was interested in oil 🛢️ or diamonds 💎.
They wanted a friendly govt at the tip of Africa where ships would pass through if the Suez Canal was under US control.
EVERYBODY’s interested in oil.
There is always an interest, economical, political, military or geographical.
@@todaywefly4370not greenies 😂
Warmongers everyone!
5:07 WHOOPS !
A rate of climb of over 46,000 feet per second is 31,000 miles per hour
space plane
Yeah, Elon Musk needs to take notes here
Could be 46 000' per minute. Sounds reasonable.
Had the privilege of seeing the Cheetah C demonstrated in Port Elizabeth probably around 1990. It was impressive in turning ability compared with the 2nd generation Mirage F1's . One aspect made it difficult to see as it moved away from the airfield - that later dark grey camouflage scheme made it almost impossible to identify against an overcast sky. It was also very loud on full afterburner! The real magic was actually the electronic warfare suite much of it developed locally and probably still fully or partially classified. Hats off to "the boys in Pretoria" They were also planning a full ground up 4th genner - a locally developed multi role fighter to be named The Atlas "Carver " (see Wikipedia page)
Classified in South Africa now means easily available to anybody with a bit of cash.
As a South African I'm proud that you covered this. If you can get info please do a cover story on the Milkor 380 UAV that my company produces or our 40mm Multiple Grenade Launcher or Super Six. I work for Milkor and it would definitely be interesting to see if you can get more information on our First UAV produced on the African continent by Milkor.
We have drones ?
@@Mattio_1 yes we do. Milkor South Africa based in Cape Town Western Cape has built the first operational 18m long wingspan Drone or UAV. It's the biggest Military Drone produced on the African continent. It's called the Milkor 380 UAV.
@@Mattio_1 I work at Milkor Head Office in Centurion Gauteng so I know a lot. I'm based in the weapons Department where we produce Grenade Launchers that are sold to over 60 Countries worldwide.
@@Mattio_1 Milkor is a Civil Defence Company started in South Africa in the early 1980's. We have been going for over 40 years, we were the first Company in the world to produce a Multiple Grenade Launcher 40mm. Our MK1 variant of our Flagship gun called the Milkor Super Six is used by the US Marine Cor to this day. Obviously with that being said we have made substantial changes to the gun over the years to where it's better than our competition.
We darn made the rest of the world be scared
Necessity is the mother of invention!
And now we cannot even keep the lights on.
In today's time yes but back then things were different.
💡
Really glad you put that big red ring around the plane in the thumbnail! ;-)
An interesting episode, that shows the determination of countries that will carefully use their existing resources to create a status of maintaining their sovereignty and separate themselves from undesirable regimes of their surrounding nations.
The remarkable upgrades to these aircraft, helped them, to maintain this separate sovern status...
An Excellent video and explanation of the upgrades and results made to create these Cheetah aircraft....
It is amazing how much excess capacity was built into 2nd gen fighter aircraft. Boeing once did a study at the behest of the DoD looking into the potential upgrade of the F4. What they came up with was close in performance to the new “teen” series of planes then coming into service and superior to anything coming from the east. Needless to say Grumman, McDonnel-Douglas, etc. we’re none too keen on seeing an F4 upgrade.
Namibia is a beautiful country
Good on the SADF!
I loved watching this video. The 80's style music was both awesome and appropriate.
Ecuador ended up with the last Cheetah C, since the ecuadorian air force was replacing it's old Kfir jets, it seemed normal but unfortunately the current South African government that has issues with IAI and the total collapse of Denel has forced the fleet to be grounded, this is the problem with small suppliers that can't warrantee they can keep their products flying
Great series for seeing what's flown around out there even though it can be difficult to understand the implications of success... also have trouble distinguishing some different models - for some that I do kinda know I can see that the mixture of planes shown and highlighted can be confusing. thanks for sharing the entertainment (everyone)
Cheetah D was introduced first entering service in 1986. The Cheetah E was developed more or less in parallel and entered service in 1988. In parallel to those ran the R project which flew in 1987. The Cheetah C was developed last and first flew in 1991.
A climb rate of 46,000 feet per SECOND?? That's over 31,000 miles per hour, or Mach 40+!
That's damned good performance!
It looks like Joe Isuzu has struck again🤭
Pretty good for an aircraft that became obsolete at the beginning of the 20th century. Or at least that's what the man said.
Obviously an error
This is exactly what i came to the comments for 😂😂😂. I was like what???!!!
Yeah, we had UFO's before the USA 😆
Great video. I never realised how much development went into the Cheetah. I just wander where all those skills ended up after 1994. The current Air Force struggles to keep their Saab Gripens flying.
I don't know where you got your info from, but we never began to lose the fight anywhere! We took names and kicked ass right up to the end of the war. Also, we developed leading edge, world class arms, armoured vehicles and helicopters. You may want to do a video on the Rooivalk.
Running out of money didn't help.
Hows electricity supply its no longer guaranteed 24/7 i campagained against ANC TuTu when they came to australia 40years past lost the fight its sad
@@Eric-kn4yn It is indeed sad. South Africa is to all intents and purposes a failed state.
@@marcg1686australia getting record big unwanted 👽 migration housing crisis whites dont want it govt not of the people now its scary good luck to you
I recall the end of that war. The South Africans were demobilising and handing in their weapons as per the peace deal when SWAPO sc*mbags tried to take advantage and launch an attack. I believe SWAPO were made to regret that.
that climb rate is actually 46000 ft per minute NOT per second.......
Speaking of mirages, I would like to see a documentary of the IAI Kfir.
I love what SA has accomplished in military technology. They have produced some fantastic military equipment. From fighters to helicopters IFVS etc!!!!
Do not forget THE CHUBBY LANDMINE DETECTOR
@@kgb2905or the MRAP as the yanks now call it. 40 years after we developed it.
46,000 feet per second ?? Pretty Fast !!
Mirage 3 never really lacked speed, as it was designed to intercept soviet bombers and reach Mach 2
They also started to develop a brand new fighter. Check out the Atlas Carver to go down that rabbit hole
Awesome video. My only criticism was the start of the Border War as we called it, was when UNITA asked for South African assistance during the Angolan Civil War. That war expanded to include the liberation of Namibia.
Rate of climb 46,000 feet per second = *ludicrous speed* !!!
5:06 - 46,000 feet per SECOND? Wow, that's pretty impressive.
That would be a massive surprise to any of its engineers or pilots.
Rate of Climb of 46,000 feet per second?
That’s 9 seconds to reach space!
A video about Draken International would be interesting
My father was one of the engineers on these aircraft during development
Wow' informative & outstandingly interesting. Thanks, Dan
So trots op die jet!!!!
Dis lekker om te sien hoeveel van ons Suid Afrikaners al die video gesien het in so kort tyd. Ons land het sy probleme, maar ons bly trots en die mense is wonderlik. Politiek in SA is en was ons probleem.
South Africa was in a war on its borders against Russia, Cuba and China. Today we have Gripens of which 2 are operational and no weapons were ever purchased for these aircraft. Such a proud moment.
Thanks for that massive red circle in the thumbnail.
I would never of seen the plane in the photo.
You can see decommisioned Cheetahs at Swartkop Airforce base in Centurion, Gauteng..
gate guards weather will destroy them any in a/c museums
That's amazing considering today most of SA are struggling to keep the lights on.
I enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up
Still operational after 60 years after introduction and still being up-to-date. Impressive
Cheetah /IAI Kfir Development is a slap in the face to the Americans
America approved of it.
In the 80s, America backed South Africa apartheid govt behind the scenes as it feared a Soviet backed overthrow of the apartheid govt.
US Congress however passed laws restricting US help to South Africa due to public protests against the apartheid regime.
So US turned to Israel (and France?) to supply equipment through the back door.
Correct me if I'm wrong...
Its all history now sth africa failed state sad
The US always wants a finger in every pie. It is because of the US and the UN that everything here in South Africa went south.
@@mtrest4I have no doubt Ronny and Maggie made a plan via the back door?
My understanding is that Draken rejected the Cheetahs because they were stored outside and in incredibly bad condition. I live nearby and have witnessed the Mirage F.1s being tested. Those are beautiful and loud!
The Cheetah C was actually the last ones produced, (new airframes , 38 ordered ) . The Cheetah E was a rebuild of Mirage 3 EZ aircraft while the Cheetah D was a rebuild of Mirage 3 DZ as well as D2Z aircraft (there were 4 DZ and 11 DZ2Z aircraft originally delivered
Also in early 2000s the Chilean Air Force bought a few Cheetah fighters to use them as spares source for the Mirage 5 and 50 in Chilean service before the introduction of the current F-16 fighters between 2006 and 2007.
A rate of climb of 46,000’ per second? I think that should be per minute.
Hey...Dark guy...I like your work...keep going....
South Africa wasn't fighting its neighbours, but rather defended the region against communist infiltration by Russia, East Germany and Cuba. Say it as it is. It just so happened that we, while marching northward, were contacted by SWAPO of Namibia, on their way south from Angola. We never intended to fight them, it just happened spontaneously. And the world supported the ungodly communist invasion and fought us instead. Thank you, UN, USA, for being such good friends. Who needs enemies, with friends like that?
Rate of climb of 46000 feet per second?!?!?!?!? That's pretty darn fast - like, very fast - mach 45, or twice the orbital speed :) Maybe per minute? Please fix :)
😂
Yes I was just thinking that. 46,000ft. Per second??
LMAO so it's a space fighter 😂
Orbital speed, no the, it varies depending on height over sea level.
I want that alien tech for my vehicle right now!
Not mentioned variation with Klimov RD-33 engine (x1.5 thrust).
46 000 feet per second. Holy shit Batman he just flew straight past the space shuttle like it was standing still😂😂😂
This is a wonderful video about Cheater ( upgraded Mirage 3) versions... by Israel 🇮🇱 and South Africa 🇿🇦 technologies capabilities. Approaches to Cheater R...as most progressive reconnaissance and fighters aircraft....thank you ( Dark skies) channel for sharing ... sometimes, international sanctions create opposition reflection resumes
Cheetah
Wrong flag
The Cheetah indeed is a Nesher/Mirag 5, retained the original Atar 9 engine and was upgraded by improved aerodynamics and increased fuel capacity, , the Cuban pilots with their Migs were no match to the SAAF
So glad they drew that big red circle around the plane, I never would have guessed what in the picture the vid was about
Same, at first glance I thought it was a video about surveying vegetation while at high speed, which is something I am particularly interested in, but the red circle cleared it up for me
These utubes errors happen every time its deliberate to ferment comments boost subs
I would say $35M for a dozen aircraft is the bargain of the year
They were fitted with MIG engines!!!
No. 2 Mirage F1s were fitted with Russian engines. No such thing as a MIG engine.
@@patrickporter6536incorrect. Mirage F1 AZ 216 was fitted with the SMR95 & so was Cheetah D2 847. The Mirage flew around 100 hours and the Cheetah D2 flew around 17 hours
If I'm not mistaken one of the Cheetahs were used to test systems for the Atlas Carver
It was so much safer before apartheid ended.
My Country, sadly
South Africa sure turned into a utopian society.
Didn't the South Africans have 16 Buccaneers?
I think so ground attack role maybe delivering nukes but its history now
Yes, 24 squadron
Ordered 16 but only operated 15 as Buccaneer 417 was lost on its delivery flight
I recall Argentina was interested in acquiring the Cheetah aircraft, but the UK government chimped out and had a hissy fit over the proposed acquiral, as they feared the Argentinians may have air superiority if any future conflicts emerged over the disputed Malvinas (Falklands) that are occupied by the British
And that is how good the Cheetah was, scaring the British and seen as a threat to the British occupation of the Malvinas
great channel but can i ask why does the thumbnail for the video have to have a ridiculous arrow or circle around the item of interest?
Ah yes the Mirage 3cz. what a beautiful aircraft.
Did the Cheetah ever get an air to air refuel. Don't ever recall seeing tankers, either at Grootfontein or Wonderboom
46,000 ft./sec. climb rate is impressive.
and that is without afterburner.
UN: Arms embargo on South-Africa, ok?
IAI: The what?
🇮🇱 plays by its own rules 😂
Reason why it's got SA govt heading to the world court with genocide allegations ATM
Contrast the SADF then with the SANDF of today..no contest. Nowadays the muppet’s run out of ammo.
As a former SADF soldier, thank you for this video. Please fix the '46 000 ft ps' climb rate of the Cheeta.. ⚔️
You opening statement is wrong.
South Africa was never at war against its neighbours who wanted independence for Namibia.
South Africa was fighting Russian expansionism. There was never any issue about Namibian independence. It was mostly about not handing Namibia over to the USSR and its proxies.
Funny thing then that once the USSR collapsed, SA granted Namibia their independence.
Your information is incorrect. the Cheetah C did not arrive first - rather it was the last of the Cheetah versions. It was first the trainer version D. Then the first version of the one seater came, the Cheetah E. And eventually the upgraded Cheetah C was deployed.
There was the Cheetah B - looks like the D - but you can Google that. Like you should've done in the first place of the entire type
Also 46000 feet per minute is definitely incorrect 😂
Great content really interesting
Only two Grippens flying now I believe.
And SAAF pilots going to Cuba for training.🤦
@@marcg1686 sth afrikan embassy gave us material to distribute when tambo TuTu were in australia necklacing winnie australian govt wanted whites out in sth afrika we lost the fight now every white nation except ex soviet bloc 👽 migrationreplacing white race sth afrika elec not guaranteed 24/ 7 its sad
@@marcg1686 They love their commie friends. I may be wrong, but I think the army gets their medical training there as well. Cuba needs the money.
@@marcg1686 I don’t know what they are going to fly , most aircraft are out of service for lack of parts and can’t afford the mechanics to fix them when they might be able to pay for the parts. Very sad state of affairs.
@@UpemmSad indeed. I remember a SAAF officer interviewed by Air Forces Monthly at the time the SAAF was looking for a replacement for the Cheetah/F1 fleet saying that they were bowled over by how expensive 4th generation fighters were compared to the Mirage 3. I've often wondered if purchasing additional Mirage 3 and 5 airframes and doing complete rebuilds wouldn't have been preferable. And perhaps uprating the Atar engines.
Reliable Mig 23 😮😳
Exactly was the worst mig ever
Okay, the Afrikaans "skool" which you translated to Skull - is actually School. So it is today 85 Combat Flying School - from 89 Combat flying School.
As a South African, it makes me proud to see what we achieved, and furious that we were betrayed by the west, as well as the adders in our bosom.
Yeah. That apartheid thingy was real cool!
@@kehindebamgbopa3037 apartheid worked !!
@@tonynz9954 Go do an encore, then.
@@kehindebamgbopa3037now that SA has been africanised its a borderline failed state. Aparteid was a gatekeeper to keep babarins @bay.
@@user-ez9en7vk2z Whatever the reason for apartheid there is no way that you can expect 80% of your population to accept being 2nd class citizens. Apartheid's demise was inevitable and to think otherwise is fantasy.
At 46,000 feet per second, it’s what Chuck Norris chooses to fly!!