The Atlas Oryx (named after the Oryx antelope ) is a medium-sized utility helicopter ostensibly developed and manufactured by the Atlas Aircraft Corporation (now Denel Aeronautics ) of South Africa . Its largest operator is the South African Air Force (SAAF), having been originally developed to fulfil their needs.
155-626: Development of the Oryx commenced during the early 1980s, largely in response to the wartime demands of the Border War and the imposition of an arms embargo upon South Africa, which prevented the importing of foreign transport helicopters such as the Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma . Seeking to improve and augment the SAAF's existing fleet of rotorcraft, domestic industries examined means of improving
310-567: A Portuguese intermediary, where they would be reassembled by Atlas under the Oryx name. During the 1990s, legal action was launched by the Portuguese firm Beverley Securities Incorporated (BSI) against the multinational helicopter manufacturer Eurocopter , the successor to Aérospatiale , over allegations related to the Oryx's development and its relation to the Puma helicopter. Allegedly, from 1986, South Africa had been supplied with 50 kits for
465-475: A Portuguese militia unit. South Africa responded by declaring a state of emergency in Ovamboland on 4 February. A media blackout was imposed, white civilians evacuated further south, public assembly rights revoked, and the security forces empowered to detain suspicious persons indefinitely. Police reinforcements were sent to the border, and in the ensuing crackdown they arrested 213 Ovambos. South Africa
620-402: A border post. The guerrillas set up camp at Omugulugwombashe , one of five potential bases identified by SWALA's initial reconnaissance team as appropriate sites to train future recruits. Here, they drilled up to thirty local volunteers between September 1965 and August 1966. South African intelligence became aware of the camp by mid 1966 and identified its general location. On 26 August 1966,
775-403: A continuous flow of electrolyte. Flow cells typically have the fuel dissolved in the electrolyte. Power-to-weight ratios for vehicles are usually calculated using curb weight (for cars) or wet weight (for motorcycles), that is, excluding weight of the driver and any cargo. This could be slightly misleading, especially with regard to motorcycles, where the driver might weigh 1/3 to 1/2 as much as
930-506: A conventional Soviet military threat to the strategic Cape trade route between the south Atlantic and Indian oceans. Noting that the country had become the world's principal source of uranium , the South African Department of External Affairs reasoned that "on this account alone, therefore, South Africa is bound to be implicated in any war between East and West". Prime Minister Malan took the position that colonial Africa
1085-406: A cutoff voltage are typically specified for a battery by its manufacturer. The output voltage falls to the cutoff voltage when the battery becomes "discharged". The nominal output voltage is always less than the open-circuit voltage produced when the battery is "charged". The temperature of a battery can affect the power it can deliver, where lower temperatures reduce power. Total energy delivered from
1240-403: A direct preparation for immediate action...we hoped the outcome of the case would be in our favor. As long as we had that hope, we did not want to resort to violent methods. However, the judgment let us down, and what we had prepared for as a kind of unreality, suddenly became the cold and hard reality for us. We took to arms, we had no other choice. Excerpt from official SWAPO communique on
1395-502: A fifth province of South Africa. According to Smuts, this constituted "annexation in all but in name". Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the League of Nations complained that of all the mandatory powers South Africa was the most delinquent with regards to observing the terms of its mandate. The Mandate Commission vetoed a number of ambitious South African policy decisions, such as proposals to nationalise South West African railways or alter
1550-467: A fluid, or storage in a pressure vessel . A variety of effects can be harnessed to produce thermoelectricity , thermionic emission , pyroelectricity and piezoelectricity . Electrical resistance and ferromagnetism of materials can be harnessed to generate thermoacoustic energy from an electric current. All electrochemical cell batteries deliver a changing voltage as their chemistry changes from "charged" to "discharged". A nominal output voltage and
1705-493: A high threat environment. However, as an interim measure an Oryx with door mounted machine guns did appear. Oryx helicopters are constantly refined and updated. A full glass cockpit is planned for a future update. The latest addition is the fitting of flare dispensers and the update of the Threat Warning Receivers. There is an electronic warfare (stand-off communications jamming/radar jamming) version of
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#17327754937151860-563: A higher discharge current – and therefore higher power-to-weight ratio – but only with a lower energy capacity. Power-to-weight ratio for batteries is therefore less meaningful without reference to corresponding energy-to-weight ratio and cell temperature. This relationship is known as Peukert's law . Capacitors store electric charge onto two electrodes separated by an electric field semi-insulating ( dielectric ) medium. Electrostatic capacitors feature planar electrodes onto which electric charge accumulates. Electrolytic capacitors use
2015-491: A job if so desired, freedom to have a worker bring his family with him from Ovamboland while taking a job elsewhere, and for equal pay with white workers. The strike was later brought to an end after the South African government agreed to several concessions which were endorsed by Nangutuuala, including the implementation of uniform working hours and allowing workers to change jobs. Responsibility for labour recruitment
2170-531: A keen interest in Africa's independence movements and initially hoped that the cultivation of socialist client states on the continent would deny their economic and strategic resources to the West. Soviet training of SWALA was thus not confined to tactical matters but extended to Marxist–Leninist political theory, and the procedures for establishing an effective political-military infrastructure. In addition to training,
2325-406: A liquid electrolyte as one of the electrodes and the electric double layer effect upon the surface of the dielectric-electrolyte boundary to increase the amount of charge stored per unit volume. Electric double-layer capacitors extend both electrodes with a nanoporous material such as activated carbon to significantly increase the surface area upon which electric charge can accumulate, reducing
2480-500: A localised and improved model of the Puma, an initiative which became the Oryx. In comparison to the Puma, the Oryx would possess an increased power-to-weight ratio and yield improved performance in the high temperature climate that the rotorcraft was typically being operated in; in comparison to the Rooivalk, development of the Oryx could proceed at a far quicker pace as it was an essentially more straightforward programme. Furthermore,
2635-588: A makeshift camp established for housing South West African refugees in Kongwa , Tanzania. The increasing likelihood of armed conflict in South West Africa had strong international foreign policy implications, for both Western Europe and the Soviet bloc. Prior to the late 1950s, South Africa's defence policy had been influenced by international Cold War politics, including the domino theory and fears of
2790-507: A mass of 380 kg (840 lb), giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 0.65 kW/kg (0.40 hp/lb). Examples of high power-to-weight ratios can often be found in turbines. This is because of their ability to operate at very high speeds. For example, the Space Shuttle 's main engines used turbopumps (machines consisting of a pump driven by a turbine engine) to feed the propellants (liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen ) into
2945-580: A maximum payload of 3,000 kg within the cabin, or transport up to 4,500 kg freight on an external sling. Tasks performed for the South African Navy include general transportation, at-sea replenishment, force multiplication, reconnaissance, and search & rescue operations. During 2003, it was announced that, as a part of a major modernisation and reequipment programme, the SAAF had declared ten of its Oryx helicopters to be surplus to requirements and would be made available for re-sale. At
3100-511: A mine outside Katima Mulilo , wounding four constables. The following day, a fifth constable was mortally injured when he stepped on a second mine laid directly alongside the first. This reflected a new PLAN tactic of laying anti-personnel mines parallel to their anti-tank mines to kill policemen or soldiers either engaging in preliminary mine detection or inspecting the scene of a previous blast. In 1972, South Africa acknowledged that two more policemen had died and another three had been injured as
3255-466: A number of Catholic and Anglican parishes elsewhere. The consequence of the letter's contents was increased militancy on the part of the black population, especially among the Ovambo people, who made up the bulk of SWAPO's supporters. Throughout the year there were mass demonstrations against the South African government held in many Ovamboland schools. In December 1971, Jannie de Wet , Commissioner for
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#17327754937153410-558: A partition of the mandate, allowing South Africa to annex the southern portion while either granting independence to the north, including the densely populated Ovamboland region, or administering it as an international trust territory. The proposal met with overwhelming opposition in the General Assembly; fifty-six nations voted against it. Any further partition of South West Africa was rejected out of hand. Mounting internal opposition to apartheid played an instrumental role in
3565-647: A period of time is equal to the difference in its total energy over that period of time, so the rate at which work is done is equal to the rate of change of the kinetic energy (in the absence of potential energy changes). The work done from time t to time t + Δ t along the path C is defined as the line integral ∫ C F ⋅ d x = ∫ t t + Δ t F ⋅ v ( t ) d t {\displaystyle \int _{C}\mathbf {F} \cdot d\mathbf {x} =\int _{t}^{t+\Delta t}\mathbf {F} \cdot \mathbf {v} (t)dt} , so
3720-708: A result of mines. The proliferation of mines in the Caprivi and other rural areas posed a serious concern to the South African government, as they were relatively easy for a PLAN cadre to conceal and plant with minimal chance of detection. Sweeping the roads for mines with hand held mine detectors was possible, but too slow and tedious to be a practical means of ensuring swift police movement or keeping routes open for civilian use. The SADF possessed some mine clearance equipment, including flails and ploughs mounted on tanks, but these were not considered practical either. The sheer distances of road vulnerable to PLAN sappers every day
3875-463: A single charge cycle is affected by both the battery temperature and the power it delivers. If the temperature lowers or the power demand increases, the total energy delivered at the point of "discharge" is also reduced. Battery discharge profiles are often described in terms of a factor of battery capacity . For example, a battery with a nominal capacity quoted in ampere-hours (Ah) at a C/10 rated discharge current (derived in amperes) may safely provide
4030-401: A speed | v ( t ) | {\displaystyle |\mathbf {v} (t)|\;} and angle ϕ {\displaystyle \phi \;} with respect to the centre and radial of a gravitational field by an onboard powerplant , then the associated kinetic energy is where: The work–energy principle states that the work done to the object over
4185-432: A strong independent state. In the second part of the first session of the General Assembly, the floor was handed to Smuts, who declared that the mandate was essentially a part of the South African territory and people. Smuts informed the General Assembly that it had already been so thoroughly incorporated with South Africa a UN-sanctioned annexation was no more than a necessary formality. The Smuts delegation's request for
4340-667: A train. As the coefficient of friction between steel wheels and rails seldom exceeds 0.25 in most cases, improving a locomotive's power-to-weight ratio is often counterproductive. However, the choice of power transmission system, such as variable-frequency drive versus direct-current drive , may support a higher power-to-weight ratio by better managing propulsion power. Most vehicles are designed to meet passenger comfort and cargo carrying requirements. Vehicle designs trade off power-to-weight ratio to increase comfort, cargo space, fuel economy , emissions control , energy security and endurance. Reduced drag and lower rolling resistance in
4495-582: A trusteeship system. Article 77 of the United Nations Charter stated that UN trusteeship "shall apply...to territories now held under mandate"; furthermore, it would "be a matter of subsequent agreement as to which territories in the foregoing territories will be brought under the trusteeship system and under what terms". Smuts was suspicious of the proposed trusteeship, largely because of the vague terminology in Article 77. Heaton Nicholls,
4650-516: A unique genre known as grensliteratuur (directly translated "border literature"). Various names have been applied to the undeclared conflict waged by South Africa in Angola and Namibia (then South West Africa ) from the mid 1960s to the late 1980s. The term "South African Border War" has typically denoted the military campaign launched by the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN), which took
4805-522: A vehicle design can facilitate increased cargo space without increase in the (zero cargo) power-to-weight ratio. This increases the role flexibility of the vehicle. Energy security considerations can trade off power (typically decreased) and weight (typically increased), and therefore power-to-weight ratio, for fuel flexibility or drive-train hybridisation . Some utility and practical vehicle variants such as hot hatches and sports-utility vehicles reconfigure power (typically increased) and weight to provide
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4960-520: A violation of Pretoria's obligations as a mandatory power. The National Party government rejected the claim on the grounds that Ethiopia and Liberia lacked sufficient legal interest to present a case concerning South West Africa. This argument suffered a major setback on 21 December 1962 when the ICJ ruled that as former League of Nations member states, both parties had a right to institute the proceedings. Around March 1962 SWAPO President Sam Nujoma visited
5115-408: Is a calculation commonly applied to engines and mobile power sources to enable the comparison of one unit or design to another. Power-to-weight ratio is a measurement of actual performance of any engine or power source. It is also used as a measurement of performance of a vehicle as a whole, with the engine's power output being divided by the weight (or mass ) of the vehicle, to give a metric that
5270-569: Is also commonly referred to as the Namibian War of Independence. However, these terms have been criticised for ignoring the wider regional implications of the war and the fact that most of the fighting took place in countries other than Namibia. Namibia was governed as German South West Africa , a colony of the German Empire , until World War I , when it was invaded and occupied by Allied forces under General Louis Botha . Following
5425-402: Is an important vehicle characteristic that affects the acceleration of sports vehicles. Propeller aircraft depend on high power-to-weight ratios to generate sufficient thrust to achieve sustained flight, and then for speed. Jet aircraft produce thrust directly . Power-to-weight ratio is important in cycling, since it determines acceleration and the speed during hill climbs . Since
5580-417: Is conversely usually lower. Fuel cells and flow cells , although perhaps using similar chemistry to batteries, do not contain the energy storage medium or fuel . With a continuous flow of fuel and oxidant, available fuel cells and flow cells continue to convert the energy storage medium into electric energy and waste products. Fuel cells distinctly contain a fixed electrolyte whereas flow cells also require
5735-500: Is equal to thrust per unit mass multiplied by the velocity of any vehicle. The power-to-weight ratio (specific power) is defined as the power generated by the engine(s) divided by the mass. In this context, the term "weight" can be considered a misnomer, as it colloquially refers to mass. In a zero-gravity (weightless) environment, the power-to-weight ratio would not be considered infinite. A typical turbocharged V8 diesel engine might have an engine power of 250 kW (340 hp) and
5890-420: Is independent of the vehicle's size. Power-to-weight is often quoted by manufacturers at the peak value, but the actual value may vary in use and variations will affect performance. The inverse of power-to-weight, weight-to-power ratio (power loading) is a calculation commonly applied to aircraft, cars, and vehicles in general, to enable the comparison of one vehicle's performance to another. Power-to-weight ratio
6045-499: Is only delivered if the powerplant is in motion, and is transmitted to cause the body to be in motion. It is typically assumed here that mechanical transmission allows the powerplant to operate at peak output power. This assumption allows engine tuning to trade power band width and engine mass for transmission complexity and mass. Electric motors do not suffer from this tradeoff, instead trading their high torque for traction at low speed. The power advantage or power-to-weight ratio
6200-441: Is the new modified tailboom which is slightly longer (50 cm), than the Puma. Most Oryx are equipped with a 50m hydraulic hoist, rated for up to 2 personnel, for use in rescue operations. Additionally a large metal A-frame structure can be fitted in the cargo bay which allows up to four personnel to rappel or abseil from the aircraft simultaneously. Oryx operating from coastal squadrons are fitted with emergency flotation gear on
6355-405: Is then where: The useful power of an engine with shaft power output can be calculated using a dynamometer to measure torque and rotational speed , with maximum power reached when torque multiplied by rotational speed is a maximum. For jet engines the useful power is equal to the flight speed of the aircraft multiplied by the force, known as net thrust, required to make it go at that speed. It
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6510-455: Is used when calculating propulsive efficiency . Thermal energy is made up from molecular kinetic energy and latent phase energy. Heat engines are able to convert thermal energy in the form of a temperature gradient between a hot source and a cold sink into other desirable mechanical work . Heat pumps take mechanical work to regenerate thermal energy in a temperature gradient. Standard definitions should be used when interpreting how
6665-765: Is used, to distinguish the type. Although, operated and flown by 22 Squadron SAAF , these helicopters were specifically built for use by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism , as part of the South African National Antarctic Programme . Two Oryx helicopters have been modified for operations in the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic , for which they have been painted in the red and white colour scheme. Highly effective, de-icing equipment, of up rated specification,
6820-591: Is widely regarded in South Africa as the start of the Border War, and according to SWAPO, officially marked the beginning of its revolutionary armed struggle. Operation Blouwildebees triggered accusations of treachery within SWALA's senior ranks. According to SADF accounts, an unidentified informant had accompanied the security forces during the attack. Sam Nujoma asserted that one of the eight guerrillas from
6975-769: The Armistice of 11 November 1918 , a mandate system was imposed by the League of Nations to govern African and Asian territories held by Germany and the Ottoman Empire prior to the war. The mandate system was formed as a compromise between those who advocated an Allied annexation of former German and Turkish territories, and another proposition put forward by those who wished to grant them to an international trusteeship until they could govern themselves. All former German and Turkish territories were classified into three types of mandates – Class "A" mandates, predominantly in
7130-538: The Aérospatiale Alouette III and the Puma. While the Alouette III was a compact helicopter whose design originated in the 1960s, lacking in engine power and being relatively early amongst production rotorcraft and thus not a favourable candidate for further development work, the Puma was substantially larger and was equipped with more powerful engines; both factors provided a broader basis for
7285-665: The Border War or the Bush War . The need for capable attack helicopters beyond that of the gunship -configured Alouette series of helicopters was recognised by SAAF officials, leading to Atlas Aircraft producing an experimental attack helicopter, the XH-1 Alpha , and subsequently the more powerful XTP-1 , the latter being created via the conversion of two existing Puma J airframes. The development of an entirely new helicopter from scratch would have involved designing and developing many accompanying subsystems and components, such as
7440-677: The British Commonwealth . South Africa's involvement in the Korean War produced a significant warming of relations between Malan and the United States, despite American criticism of apartheid. Until the early 1960s, South African strategic and military support was considered an integral component of U.S. foreign policy in Africa's southern subcontinent, and there was a steady flow of defence technology from Washington to Pretoria. American and Western European interest in
7595-809: The Namibian War of Independence , and sometimes denoted in South Africa as the Angolan Bush War , was a largely asymmetric conflict that occurred in Namibia (then South West Africa ), Zambia , and Angola from 26 August 1966 to 21 March 1990. It was fought between the South African Defence Force (SADF) and the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN), an armed wing of the South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO). The South African Border War
7750-544: The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), making the "Border War" an increasingly inseparable conflict from the parallel Angolan Civil War . "Border War" entered public discourse in South Africa during the late 1970s, and was adopted thereafter by the country's ruling National Party . Due to the covert nature of most South African Defence Force (SADF) operations inside Angola,
7905-405: The derivative with respect to time of the work done). The typically used metric unit of the power-to-weight ratio is W kg {\displaystyle {\tfrac {\text{W}}{\text{kg}}}\;} which equals m 2 s 3 {\displaystyle {\tfrac {{\text{m}}^{2}}{{\text{s}}^{3}}}\;} . This fact allows one to express
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#17327754937158060-474: The fundamental theorem of calculus has that power is given by F ( t ) ⋅ v ( t ) = m a ( t ) ⋅ v ( t ) = τ ( t ) ⋅ ω ( t ) {\displaystyle \mathbf {F} (t)\cdot \mathbf {v} (t)=m\mathbf {a} (t)\cdot \mathbf {v} (t)=\mathbf {\tau } (t)\cdot \mathbf {\omega } (t)} . where: In propulsion , power
8215-461: The sponsons and nose. Throughout the 1990s, Atlas representatives routinely marketed the Oryx to potential export customers, focusing particularly upon existing operators of the Puma within the African sub-continent; this sales effort included the provision of an upgrade package for existing Pumas into an Oryx-equivalent configuration. During mid-1991, the SAAF publicly acknowledged that the Oryx
8370-439: The turboshaft engines and the dynamic systems, such as the main and tail rotor systems and the gearboxes . Due to the great difficulty posed by the prospects of designing and manufacturing a clean-design helicopter, which would have substantially increased the cost and timescale of the project, it was decided to base the attack helicopter upon an existing design. During this era, the SAAF operated two principal helicopter types –
8525-596: The "economic, social, and cultural advancement" of South West Africans. However, SWAPO went a step further by demanding immediate independence under black majority rule, to be granted at a date no later than 1963. The SWAPO manifesto also promised universal suffrage , sweeping welfare programmes, free healthcare, free public education, the nationalisation of all major industry, and the forcible redistribution of foreign-owned land "in accordance with African communal ownership principles". Compared to SWANU, SWAPO's potential for wielding political influence within South West Africa
8680-865: The Caprivi Strip. Outside the Soviet bloc, Egypt continued training SWALA personnel. By 1964 others were also being sent to Ghana , Algeria , the People's Republic of China , and North Korea for military instruction. In June of that year, SWAPO confirmed that it was irrevocably committed to the course of armed revolution. The formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU)'s Liberation Committee further strengthened SWAPO's international standing and ushered in an era of unprecedented political decline for SWANU. The Liberation Committee had obtained approximately £20,000 in obligatory contributions from OAU member states; these funds were offered to both South West African nationalist movements. However, as SWANU
8835-458: The French helicopter firm Aérospatiale , the Puma's original manufacturer, who produced kits that were supplied to South Africa; Atlas Aviation had denied this involvement and claimed that the Oryx was an entirely indigenous programme. The existence of the Oryx became public knowledge during 1991, by which point it was in service with the SAAF. In the early 2000s, the SAAF opted to reduce the size of
8990-603: The German Pacific islands, and the Union of South Africa received South West Africa. It soon became apparent the South African government had interpreted the mandate as a veiled annexation. In September 1922, South African Prime Minister Jan Smuts testified before the League of Nations Mandate Commission that South West Africa was being fully incorporated into the Union and should be regarded, for all practical purposes, as
9145-469: The ICJ ruling. On 18 July 1966, the ICJ ruled that it had no authority to decide on the South West African affair. Furthermore, the court found that while Ethiopia and Liberia had locus standi to institute proceedings on the matter, neither had enough vested legal interest in South West Africa to entitle them to a judgement of merits. This ruling was met with great indignation by SWAPO and
9300-481: The ICJ's advisory opinions to the contrary, as well as the dismissal of the case presented by Ethiopia and Liberia, the UN declared that South Africa had failed in its obligations to ensure the moral and material well-being of the indigenous inhabitants of South West Africa, and had thus disavowed its own mandate. The UN thereby assumed that the mandate was terminated, which meant South Africa had no further right to administer
9455-588: The Indigenous Peoples of South West Africa, sparked off a general strike by 15,000 Ovambo workers in Walvis Bay when he made a public statement defending the territory's controversial contract labour regulations. The strike quickly spread to municipal workers in Windhoek, and from there to the diamond, copper and tin mines, especially those at Tsumeb , Grootfontein , and Oranjemund . Later in
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#17327754937159610-636: The Ituri/Bunia area as part of a bilateral agreement with France, being briefly used to facilitate troop movements and medium-grade transport duties. A two-year long deployment started in 2007, with two Oryx deployed at a forward operating base in Kamina for transportation purposes in the unstable Goma region; the element was subsequently relocated to a site within Goma itself and strengthened with three additional Oryx and three Rooivalk attack helicopters. By 2015,
9765-553: The Middle East, Class "B" mandates, which encompassed central Africa, and Class "C" mandates, which were reserved for the most sparsely populated or least developed German colonies: South West Africa, German New Guinea , and the Pacific islands. Owing to their small size, geographic remoteness, low population density, or physical contiguity to the mandatory itself, Class "C" mandates could be administered as integral provinces of
9920-511: The OAU. SWAPO officials immediately issued a statement from Dar es Salaam declaring that they now had "no alternative but to rise in arms" and "cross rivers of blood" in their march towards freedom. Upon receiving the news SWALA escalated its insurgency. Its third group, which had infiltrated Ovamboland in July, attacked white-owned farms, traditional Ovambo leaders perceived as South African agents, and
10075-672: The OPO split from SWANU, citing differences with the organisation's Herero leadership, then petitioning UN delegates in New York City . As the UN and potential foreign supporters reacted sensitively to any implications of tribalism and had favoured SWANU for its claim to represent the South West African people as a whole, the OPO was likewise rebranded the South West African People's Organisation . It later opened its ranks to all South West Africans sympathetic to its aims. SWAPO leaders soon went abroad to mobilise support for their goals within
10230-595: The Oryx fleet and upgrade the remainder; the scope of these upgrades was largely limited to airframe life extensions. The Oryx had been repeatedly deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in support of UN-led peacekeeping operations in the country. The South African Air Force (SAAF) was a particularly prolific user of the French-sourced Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma , a medium-sized military transport helicopter. However,
10385-457: The Oryx programme from Eurocopter via BSI under a $ 3 billion contract; BSI claimed that the Oryx was actually developed primarily by Aérospatiale, and that the kits had been described as spares for South Africa's existing fleet of Pumas. Atlas Aviation has consistently claimed that the Oryx was an indigenous programme that was developed by Atlas itself. During the 2010s, legal action on the matter between various parties, in which political involvement
10540-496: The Oryx that is equipped with the Grinaker Systems Technologies (GST) GSY 1501 jamming system, among others. The first Oryx variant with a large log periodic antenna on the starboard side was regarded as quite an effective EW platform. This platform is capable of disrupting key communications during various stages of modern, air-, land-, and sea battles. In addition it is used as an effective training aid to
10695-560: The People's Liberation Army of Namibia. To regain the military initiative, the adoption of mine warfare as an integral strategy of PLAN was discussed at a 1969–70 SWAPO consultative congress held in Tanzania. PLAN's leadership backed the initiative to deploy land mines as a means of compensating for its inferiority in most conventional aspects to the South African security forces. Shortly afterwards, PLAN began acquiring TM-46 mines from
10850-485: The Puma helicopter. The Oryx is closely connected to the Denel Rooivalk attack helicopter, both rotorcraft being based on the Puma and development having been worked on in parallel around roughly the same time period. Following the conversion of a single Puma to the Oryx configuration, quantity production of the Oryx was authorised during the late 1980s. Allegedly, the Oryx's development was greatly facilitated by
11005-716: The Republic of Namibia a year later, on 21 March 1990. Despite being largely fought in neighbouring states, the South African Border War had a significant cultural and political impact on South African society. The country's apartheid government devoted considerable effort towards presenting the war as part of a containment programme against regional Soviet expansionism and used it to stoke public anti-communist sentiment. It remains an integral theme in contemporary South African literature at large and Afrikaans -language works in particular, having given rise to
11160-522: The Rooivalk's systems was pursued in order to simplify logistics and reduce maintenance costs for both fleets. The Oryx is an upgraded and remanufactured version of the Puma, being basically equivalent to the Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma , and offers a performance improvement over the original model, in addition to reducing the operating costs by 25 to 30%. Early examples were fitted with the latest dust filters, as were then in use on
11315-462: The SAAF Puma, along with a moveable auxiliary air intake directly ahead of the engine. A newly designed dust filter was subsequently fitted, facilitating the removal of this auxiliary air intake. Should one of the engines be rendered inoperable, the remaining powerplant has sufficient power for the Oryx to complete its mission. If an engine fails in flight, the management system automatically advances
11470-526: The SADF received intelligence that a large number of SWALA forces were congregated at Sacatxai, a settlement almost a hundred and thirty kilometres north of the border inside Angola. South African T-6 Harvard warplanes bombed Sacatxai on 1 August. Most of their intended targets were able to escape, and in October 1968 two SWALA units crossed the border into Ovamboland. This incursion was no more productive than
11625-554: The SADF's request to mount punitive campaigns across the border. In May 1967 South Africa established a new facility at Rundu to coordinate joint air operations between the SADF and the Portuguese Armed Forces , and posted two permanent liaison officers at Menongue and Cuito Cuanavale . As the war intensified, South Africa's case for annexation in the international community continued to decline, coinciding with an unparalleled wave of sympathy for SWAPO. Despite
11780-530: The SANDF, to test their function as an effective fighting force, despite any EW methods employed against the SA Forces. A further advantage is, EW equipment in use by the SA Forces can be effectively evaluated and calibrated under simulated battlefield scenarios. One variant has its main cabin doors replaced by dome shaped antennas. The Oryx Mk. 2 contains such a number of differences, that a different model number
11935-527: The Security Council sought the advisory opinion of the ICJ on the "legal consequences for states of the continued presence of South Africa in Namibia". There was initial opposition to this course of action from SWAPO and the OAU, because their delegates feared another inconclusive ruling like the one in 1966 would strengthen South Africa's case for annexation. Nevertheless, the prevailing opinion at
12090-423: The Security Council was that since the composition of judges had been changed since 1966, a ruling in favour of the nationalist movement was more likely. At the UN's request, SWAPO was permitted to lobby informally at the court and was even offered an observer presence in the courtroom itself. On 21 June 1971, the ICJ reversed its earlier decision not to rule on the legality of South Africa's mandate, and expressed
12245-639: The South African Aviation Unit in the DRC involved around 140 personnel and five Oryx, amongst other assets. Being a multirole helicopter, the Oryx's primary missions within the SAAF have included medium to heavy transport duties, communications flights, task force rapid deployment operations, fire fighting, and search & rescue missions. Each one can reportedly carry up to 20 fully equipped troops, or up to six wounded personnel on stretchers with four attendants; in terms of freight, it can carry
12400-486: The South African government announced that it would forcibly relocate all residents of Old Location , a black neighbourhood located near Windhoek's city center, in accordance with apartheid legislation. SWANU responded by organising mass demonstrations and a bus boycott on 10 December, and in the ensuing confrontation South African police opened fire, killing eleven protestors. In the wake of the Old Location incident,
12555-567: The South African high commissioner in the United Kingdom and a member of the Smuts delegation to the UN, addressed the newly formed UN General Assembly on 17 January 1946. Nicholls stated that the legal uncertainty of South West Africa's situation was retarding development and discouraging foreign investment; however, self-determination for the time being was impossible since the territory was too undeveloped and underpopulated to function as
12710-581: The South African police, apparently in Kavangoland . Shuuya later resurfaced at Kongwa, claiming to have escaped his captors after his arrest. He helped plan two further incursions: a third SWALA group entered Ovamboland that July, while a fourth was scheduled to follow in September. As long as we waited for the judgement at the ICJ in The Hague, the training of fighters was a precaution rather than
12865-466: The South African security forces in August 1966. Between 1975 and 1988 the SADF staged massive conventional raids into Angola and Zambia to eliminate PLAN's forward operating bases . It also deployed specialist counter-insurgency units such as Koevoet and 32 Battalion , trained to carry out external reconnaissance and track guerrilla movements. South African tactics became increasingly aggressive as
13020-527: The Soviet Union backed the People's Armed Forces of Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) through a large contingent of military advisers, along with up to four billion dollars' worth of modern defence technology in the 1980s. Beginning in 1984, regular Angolan units under Soviet command were confident enough to confront the SADF. Their positions were also bolstered by thousands of Cuban troops . The state of war between South Africa and Angola briefly ended with
13175-468: The Soviet Union, which were designed for anti-tank purposes, and produced some homemade "box mines" with TNT for anti-personnel use. The mines were strategically placed along roads to hamper police convoys or throw them into disarray prior to an ambush; guerrillas also laid others along their infiltration routes on the long border with Angola. The proliferation of mines in South West Africa initially resulted in heavy police casualties and would become one of
13330-456: The Soviets quickly became SWALA's leading supplier of arms and money. Weapons supplied to SWALA between 1962 and 1966 included PPSh-41 submachine guns, SKS carbines, and TT-33 pistols, which were well-suited to the insurgents' unconventional warfare strategy. Despite its burgeoning relationship with SWAPO, the Soviet Union did not regard Southern Africa as a major strategic priority in
13485-414: The accommodation of additional equipment and for potential growth. Officials became keen advocates for the improvement of the SAAF's existing rotorcraft via domestic upgrade programmes. One such initiative was the development of a dedicated attack helicopter based upon the dynamic systems of the Puma, which became the Denel Rooivalk . Atlas recognised the value of, in parallel to the Rooivalk's development,
13640-554: The achievement of a UN trusteeship and ultimate South West African independence as its primary goals. A unified movement was proposed that would include the politicisation of Ovambo contract workers from northern South West Africa as well as the Herero students, which resulted in the unification of SWAPA and the OPO as the South West African National Union (SWANU) on 27 September 1959. In December 1959,
13795-501: The administration and development of that territory. The Committee's reports became increasingly scathing of South African officials when the National Party imposed its harsh system of racial segregation and stratification— apartheid —on South West Africa. In 1958, the UN established a Good Offices Committee which continued to invite South Africa to bring South West Africa under trusteeship. The Good Offices Committee proposed
13950-552: The author Hennie Van Vuuren, South African military planners arranged for the purchase of 66 Aérospatiale AS332 Super Pumas , an improved model of the Puma already in SAAF service; following their production in France, they would be disassembled for transit and transferred to the Portuguese Air Force , who officially were to be the end recipient, but would in fact transfer the disassembled rotorcraft onto South Africa via
14105-544: The captured SWALA guerrillas they were jailed in Pretoria and held there until July 1967, when all were charged retroactively under the Terrorism Act . The state prosecuted the accused as Marxist revolutionaries seeking to establish a Soviet-backed regime in South West Africa. In what became known as the "1967 Terrorist Trial", six of the accused were found guilty of committing violence in the act of insurrection, with
14260-474: The commissioner or the council. On 12 June 1968, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution which proclaimed that, in accordance with the desires of its people, South West Africa be renamed Namibia . United Nations Security Council Resolution 269 , adopted in August 1969, declared South Africa's continued occupation of "Namibia" illegal. In recognition of the UN's decision, SWALA was renamed
14415-473: The conflict progressed. The SADF's incursions produced Angolan casualties and occasionally resulted in severe collateral damage to economic installations regarded as vital to the Angolan economy. Ostensibly to stop these raids, but also to disrupt the growing alliance between the SADF and the National Union for the Total Independence for Angola (UNITA), which the former was arming with captured PLAN equipment,
14570-442: The countries to which they were entrusted. Nevertheless, the bestowal of a mandate by the League of Nations did not confer full sovereignty, only the responsibility of administering it. In principle, mandating countries were only supposed to hold these former colonies "in trust" for their inhabitants, until they were sufficiently prepared for their own self-determination. Under these terms, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand were granted
14725-431: The decision to send its first SWALA recruits abroad for guerrilla training, South Africa established fortified police outposts along the Caprivi Strip for the express purpose of deterring insurgents. When SWALA cadres armed with Soviet weapons and training began to make their appearance in South West Africa, the National Party believed its fears of a local Soviet proxy force had finally been realised. The Soviet Union took
14880-461: The defence of Africa from a hypothetical, external communist invasion dissipated after it became clear that the nuclear arms race was making global conventional war increasingly less likely. Emphasis shifted towards preventing communist subversion and infiltration via proxy rather than overt Soviet aggression. The advent of global decolonisation and the subsequent rise in prominence of the Soviet Union among several newly independent African states
15035-744: The development and militancy of a South West African nationalist movement throughout the mid to late 1950s. The 1952 Defiance Campaign , a series of nonviolent protests launched by the African National Congress against pass laws , inspired the formation of South West African student unions opposed to apartheid. In 1955, their members organised the South West African Progressive Association (SWAPA), chaired by Uatja Kaukuetu, to campaign for South West African independence. Although SWAPA did not garner widespread support beyond intellectual circles, it
15190-458: The dielectric medium to nanopores and a very thin high permittivity separator. While capacitors tend not to be as temperature sensitive as batteries, they are significantly capacity constrained and without the strength of chemical bonds suffer from self-discharge. Power-to-weight ratio of capacitors is usually higher than batteries because charge transport units within the cell are smaller (electrons rather than ions), however energy-to-weight ratio
15345-564: The end of 1972, the South African police were carrying out most of their patrols in the Caprivi Strip with mineproofed vehicles. United Nations Security Council Resolution 283 was passed in June 1970 calling for all UN member states to close, or refrain from establishing, diplomatic or consular offices in South West Africa. The resolution also recommended disinvestment, boycotts, and voluntary sanctions of that territory as long as it remained under South African rule. In light of these developments,
15500-436: The engine's combustion chamber. The original liquid hydrogen turbopump is similar in size to an automobile engine (weighing approximately 352 kilograms (775 lb)) and produces 72,000 hp (54 MW) for a power-to-weight ratio of 153 kW/kg (93 hp/lb). In classical mechanics , instantaneous power is the limiting value of the average work done per unit time as the time interval Δ t approaches zero (i.e.
15655-499: The first major clash of the conflict took place when South African paratroops and paramilitary police units executed Operation Blouwildebees to capture or kill the insurgents. SWALA had dug trenches around Omugulugwombashe for defensive purposes, but was taken by surprise and most of the insurgents quickly overpowered. SWALA suffered 2 dead, 1 wounded, and 8 captured; the South Africans suffered no casualties. This engagement
15810-536: The first unit of six SWALA guerrillas, identified simply as "Group 1" , departed the Kongwa refugee camp to infiltrate South West Africa. Group 1 trekked first into Angola, before crossing the border into the Caprivi Strip. Encouraged by South Africa's apparent failure to detect the initial incursion, larger insurgent groups made their own infiltration attempts in February and March 1966. The second unit, "Group 2" ,
15965-440: The form of sabotage and rural insurgency, as well as the external raids launched by South African troops on suspected PLAN bases inside Angola or Zambia, sometimes involving major conventional warfare against the People's Armed Forces of Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) and its Cuban allies. The strategic situation was further complicated by the fact that South Africa occupied large swathes of Angola for extended periods in support of
16120-543: The front lines in South West Africa and SWAPO's political leadership in Tanzania. They were intercepted by a South African patrol, and the ensuing firefight left Heinyeko dead and two policemen seriously wounded. Rumours again abounded that Shuuya was responsible, resulting in his dismissal and subsequent imprisonment. In the weeks following the raid on Omugulugwombashe, South Africa had detained thirty-seven SWAPO politicians, namely Andimba Toivo ya Toivo , Johnny Otto, Nathaniel Maxuilili, and Jason Mutumbulua. Together with
16275-415: The growing insurgent threat. From January 1968 onward there would be two yearly intakes of national servicemen undergoing nine months of military training. The air strike on Sacatxai also marked a fundamental shift in South African tactics, as the SADF had for the first time indicated a willingness to strike at SWALA on foreign soil. Although Angola was then an overseas province of Portugal, Lisbon granted
16430-399: The integration of a glass cockpit . Oryx have been routinely deployed to perform humanitarian relief operations, such as after floods and other natural disasters. In its basic platform the design of the Oryx offers a number of advantages and this was further developed from an early stage in the program. With the Denel Rooivalk now in service, this combat helicopter will escort the Oryx in
16585-467: The international community and newly independent African states in particular. The movement scored a major diplomatic success when it was recognised by Tanzania and allowed to open an office in Dar es Salaam . SWAPO's first manifesto, released in July 1960, was remarkably similar to SWANU's. Both advocated the abolition of colonialism and all forms of racialism, the promotion of Pan-Africanism , and called for
16740-656: The legitimate recipient of any material assistance that was forthcoming. Modelled after Umkhonto we Sizwe , the armed wing of the African National Congress, the South West African Liberation Army (SWALA) was formed by SWAPO in 1962. The first seven SWALA recruits were sent from Dar es Salaam to Egypt and the Soviet Union , where they received military instruction. Upon their return they began training guerrillas at
16895-618: The mandate before surrendering it to an international trusteeship. The following year a formal statement was issued to the General Assembly which proclaimed that South Africa had no intention of complying with trusteeship, nor was it obligated to release new information or reports pertaining to its administration. Simultaneously, the South West Africa Affairs Administration Act, 1949, was passed by South African parliament. The new legislation gave white South West Africans parliamentary representation and
17050-414: The mandate system had lapsed, conversely, however, it was still bound by the provisions of the original mandate. Adherence to the original mandate meant South Africa could not unilaterally modify the international status of South West Africa. Malan and his government rejected the court's opinion as irrelevant. The UN formed a Committee on South West Africa, which issued its own independent reports regarding
17205-575: The mandate. One National Party speaker, Eric Louw , demanded that South West Africa be annexed unilaterally. During the South African general election, 1948 , the National Party was swept into power, newly appointed Prime Minister Daniel Malan prepared to adopt a more aggressive stance concerning annexation, and Louw was named ambassador to the UN. During an address in Windhoek , Malan reiterated his party's position that South Africa would annex
17360-444: The mid 1960s, due to its preoccupation elsewhere on the continent and in the Middle East. Nevertheless, the perception of South Africa as a regional Western ally and a bastion of neocolonialism helped fuel Soviet backing for the nationalist movement. Moscow also approved of SWAPO's decision to adopt guerrilla warfare because it was not optimistic about any solution to the South West Africa problem short of revolutionary struggle. This
17515-502: The month, 25,000 Ovambo farm labourers joined what had become a nationwide strike affecting half the total workforce. The South African police responded by arresting some of the striking workers and forcibly deporting the others to Ovamboland. On 10 January 1972, an ad hoc strike committee led by Johannes Nangutuuala, was formed to negotiate with the South African government; the strikers demanded an end to contract labour, freedom to apply for jobs according to skill and interest and to quit
17670-464: The most defining features of PLAN's war effort for the next two decades. On 2 May 1971 a police van struck a mine, most likely a TM-46, in the Caprivi Strip. The resulting explosion blew a crater in the road about two metres in diameter and sent the vehicle airborne, killing two senior police officers and injuring nine others. This was the first mine-related incident recorded on South West African soil. In October 1971, another police vehicle detonated
17825-453: The nation's ability to procure further Pumas, along with many other items of military apparatus, had been greatly constrained following the enactment of an arms embargo upon South Africa under United Nations Security Council Resolution 418 due to its policy of apartheid . The inability to import new foreign military helicopters coincided with a long running military conflict between South Africa and neighbouring Angola, commonly referred to as
17980-488: The next few years, Pohamba and Muatale successfully recruited hundreds of volunteers from the Ovamboland countryside, most of whom were shipped to Eastern Europe for guerrilla training. Between July 1962 and October 1963 SWAPO negotiated military alliances with other anti-colonial movements, namely in Angola. It also absorbed the separatist Caprivi African National Union (CANU), which was formed to combat South African rule in
18135-413: The opinion that any continued perpetuation of said mandate was illegal. Furthermore, the court found that Pretoria was under obligation to withdraw its administration immediately and that if it failed to do so, UN member states would be compelled to refrain from any political or business dealings which might imply recognition of the South African government's presence there. On the same day the ICJ's ruling
18290-420: The others and by the end of the year 178 insurgents had been either killed or apprehended by the police. Throughout the 1950s and much of the 1960s, a limited military service system by lottery was implemented in South Africa to comply with the needs of national defence. Around mid 1967 the National Party government established universal conscription for all white South African men as the SADF expanded to meet
18445-407: The others had entered trusteeship. Thirty-seven member states voted to block a South African annexation of South West Africa; nine abstained. In Pretoria, right-wing politicians reacted with outrage at what they perceived as unwarranted UN interference in the South West Africa affair. The National Party dismissed the UN as unfit to meddle with South Africa's policies or discuss its administration of
18600-584: The party's refugee camps across Tanzania, describing his recent petitions for South West African independence at the Non-Aligned Movement and the UN. He pointed out that independence was unlikely in the foreseeable future, predicting a "long and bitter struggle". Nujoma personally directed two exiles in Dar es Salaam, Lucas Pohamba and Elia Muatale, to return to South West Africa, infiltrate Ovamboland and send back more potential recruits for SWALA. Over
18755-442: The perception of sports car like performance or for other psychological benefit . Increased engine performance is a consideration, but also other features associated with luxury vehicles . Longitudinal engines are common. Bodies vary from hot hatches , sedans (saloons) , coupés , convertibles and roadsters . Mid-range dual-sport and cruiser motorcycles tend to have similar power-to-weight ratios. Power-to-weight ratio
18910-453: The power setting on the remaining engine, ensuring the Oryx sustains flight with relatively little crew input, during such an emergency. The basic airframe is still that of the original Puma, but the structure was modernized by extensive use of locally produced carbon-composite materials. These materials result in an airframe that is lighter and more rugged, which increases the Oryx's endurance and maneuverability. The obvious external difference
19065-431: The power-to-weight ratio purely by SI base units . A vehicle's power-to-weight ratio equals its acceleration times its velocity; so at twice the velocity, it experiences half the acceleration, all else being equal. If the work to be done is rectilinear motion of a body with constant mass m {\displaystyle m\;} , whose center of mass is to be accelerated along a (possibly non-straight) line to
19220-503: The preexisting borders. Sharp criticism was also leveled at South Africa's disproportionate spending on the local white population , which the former defended as obligatory since white South West Africans were taxed the heaviest. The League adopted the argument that no one segment of any mandate's population was entitled to favourable treatment over another, and the terms under which the mandate had been granted made no provision for special obligation towards whites. It pointed out that there
19375-701: The propulsive power of a jet or rocket engine is transferred to its vehicle. An electric motor uses electrical energy to provide mechanical work , usually through the interaction of a magnetic field and current-carrying conductors . By the interaction of mechanical work on an electrical conductor in a magnetic field, electrical energy can be generated . Fluids (liquid and gas) can be used to transmit and/or store energy using pressure and other fluid properties. Hydraulic (liquid) and pneumatic (gas) engines convert fluid pressure into other desirable mechanical or electrical work . Fluid pumps convert mechanical or electrical work into movement or pressure changes of
19530-556: The remainder being convicted for armed intimidation, or receiving military training for the purpose of insurrection. During the trial, the defendants unsuccessfully argued against allegations that they were privy to an external communist plot. All but three received sentences ranging from five years to life imprisonment on Robben Island . The defeat at Omugulugwombashe and subsequent loss of Tobias Hainyeko forced SWALA to reevaluate its tactics. Guerrillas began operating in larger groups to increase their chances of surviving encounters with
19685-498: The same political rights as white South Africans. The UN General Assembly responded by deferring to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which was to issue an advisory opinion on the international status of South West Africa. The ICJ ruled that South West Africa was still being governed as a mandate; hence, South Africa was not legally obligated to surrender it to the UN trusteeship system if it did not recognise
19840-551: The same time it was characterised by the periodical involvement of the SADF in the long civil war taking place in neighbouring Angola, because the two conflicts could not be separated from one another. The South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO) has described the South African Border War as the Namibian War of National Liberation and the Namibian Liberation Struggle. In the Namibian context, it
19995-538: The second group who were captured in Kavangoland was a South African mole. Suspicion immediately fell on Leonard "Castro" Shuuya. SWALA suffered a second major reversal on 18 May 1967, when Tobias Hainyeko, its commander, was killed by the South African police. Heinyeko and his men had been attempting to cross the Zambezi River , as part of a general survey aimed at opening new lines of communication between
20150-477: The security forces, and refocused their efforts on infiltrating the civilian population. Disguised as peasants, SWALA cadres could acquaint themselves with the terrain and observe South African patrols without arousing suspicion. This was also a logistical advantage because they could only take what supplies they could carry while in the field; otherwise, the guerrillas remained dependent on sympathetic civilians for food, water, and other necessities. On 29 July 1967,
20305-780: The short-lived Lusaka Accords , but resumed in August 1985 as both PLAN and UNITA took advantage of the ceasefire to intensify their own guerrilla activity, leading to a renewed phase of FAPLA combat operations culminating in the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale . The South African Border War was virtually ended by the Tripartite Accord , mediated by the United States, which committed to a withdrawal of Cuban and South African military personnel from Angola and South West Africa, respectively. PLAN launched its final guerrilla campaign in April 1989. South West Africa received formal independence as
20460-431: The supply of spare parts for the Puma was a notable exception in the sanctions, making them plentiful in a circumstance where most counterparts would be blocked. While the foreign supply of most military equipment to South Africa was in violation of Resolution 418 at that time, deterring the majority of organisations from doing so, this did not render external assistance entirely beyond the realm of possibility. According to
20615-495: The term was favoured as a means of omitting any reference to clashes on foreign soil. Where tactical aspects of various engagements were discussed, military historians simply identified the conflict as the "bush war". The so-called "border war" of the 1970s and 1980s was not actually a war at all by classic standards. At the same time it eludes exact definitions. The core of it was a protracted insurgency in South West Africa, later South-West Africa/Namibia and still later Namibia. At
20770-417: The termination of the mandate and permission to annex South West Africa was not well received by the General Assembly. Five other countries, including three major colonial powers, had agreed to place their mandates under the trusteeship of the UN, at least in principle; South Africa alone refused. Most delegates insisted it was undesirable to endorse the annexation of a mandated territory, especially when all of
20925-405: The territory, and that henceforth South West Africa would come under the direct responsibility of the General Assembly. The post of United Nations Commissioner for South West Africa was created, as well as an ad hoc council, to recommend practical means for local administration. South Africa maintained it did not recognise the jurisdiction of the UN with regards to the mandate and refused visas to
21080-591: The time, the service was in the process of inducting several new types, including the Saab JAS 39 Gripen multirole fighter, the BAE Systems Hawk trainer/ground attack aircraft, and the AgustaWestland AW109 rotorcraft, the latter being the SAAF's modern rotary-wing component. In 2006, the SAAF initiated a mid life upgrade for its remaining inventory of 35 Oryx; one stated aim of this work
21235-516: The vehicle itself. In the sport of competitive cycling athlete's performance is increasingly being expressed in VAMs and thus as a power-to-weight ratio in W/kg. This can be measured through the use of a bicycle powermeter or calculated from measuring incline of a road climb and the rider's time to ascend it. A locomotive generally must be heavy in order to develop enough adhesion on the rails to start
21390-423: Was alleged by Van Vuuren, was still ongoing. A single Puma, no. 177 , was converted to the Oryx configuration and served as a prototype; reportedly the results collected were in excess of all expectations, contributing to the launch of the Oryx programme. The presence of sanctions had encouraged both the South African government and domestic industries to pursue self-sufficiency wherever possible, and this principle
21545-638: Was also transferred to the tribal authorities in Ovamboland. Thousands of the sacked Ovambo workers remained dissatisfied with these terms and refused to return to work. They attacked tribal headmen, vandalised stock control posts and government offices, and tore down about a hundred kilometres of fencing along the border, which they claimed obstructed itinerant Ovambos from grazing their cattle freely. The unrest also fueled discontent among Kwanyama -speaking Ovambos in Angola, who destroyed cattle vaccination stations and schools and attacked four border posts, killing and injuring some SADF personnel as well as members of
21700-467: Was being directly threatened by the Soviets, or at least by Soviet-backed communist agitation, and this was only likely to increase whatever the result of another European war. Malan promoted an African Pact, similar to NATO, headed by South Africa and the Western colonial powers accordingly. The concept failed due to international opposition to apartheid and suspicion of South African military overtures in
21855-602: Was closely intertwined with the Angolan Civil War . Following several years of unsuccessful petitioning through the United Nations and the International Court of Justice for Namibian independence from South Africa, SWAPO formed the PLAN in 1962 with material assistance from the Soviet Union , China, and sympathetic African states such as Tanzania , Ghana , and Algeria . Fighting broke out between PLAN and
22010-432: Was in marked contrast to the Western governments, which opposed the formation of SWALA and turned down the latter's requests for military aid. In November 1960, Ethiopia and Liberia had formally petitioned the ICJ for a binding judgment, rather than an advisory opinion, on whether South Africa remained fit to govern South West Africa. Both nations made it clear that they considered the implementation of apartheid to be
22165-498: Was in service and that its purpose was to replace its aging fleets of Pumas and Aérospatiale Super Frelons alike. It was displayed for the first time at an open day at Potchefstroom in August 1991. Since 2003, the South African Air Force has dispatched multiple Oryx into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in support of UN-led peacekeeping operations in the country. In 2003, a pair of Oryx were stationed in
22320-479: Was led by Leonard Philemon Shuuya, also known by the nom de guerre "Castro" or "Leonard Nangolo". Group 2 apparently become lost in Angola before it was able to cross the border, and the guerrillas dispersed after an incident in which they killed two shopkeepers and a vagrant. Three were arrested by the Portuguese colonial authorities in Angola, working off tips received from local civilians. Another eight, including Shuuya, had been captured between March and May by
22475-426: Was limited, and it was likelier to accept armed insurrection as the primary means of achieving its goals accordingly. SWAPO leaders also argued that a decision to take up arms against the South Africans would demonstrate their superior commitment to the nationalist cause. This would also distinguish SWAPO from SWANU in the eyes of international supporters as the genuine vanguard of the Namibian independence struggle, and
22630-529: Was little evidence of progress being made towards political self-determination; just prior to World War II South Africa and the League remained at an impasse over this dispute. After World War II, Jan Smuts headed the South African delegation to the United Nations Conference on International Organization . As a result of this conference, the League of Nations was formally superseded by the United Nations (UN) and former League mandates by
22785-502: Was made public, South African prime minister B. J. Vorster rejected it as "politically motivated", with no foundation in fact. However, the decision inspired the bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Ovambo-Kavango Church to draw up an open letter to Vorster denouncing apartheid and South Africa's continued rule. This letter was read in every black Lutheran congregation in the territory, and in
22940-399: Was particularly apparent in the production of aircraft components and, with the knowledge to assemble pre-manufactured helicopters, led to the technical skill for producing complete Puma helicopters, should the need arise. This included complete airframes and dynamic components such as gearboxes, rotor blades and turbines and hot section parts. Wherever it was feasible to do so, commonality with
23095-412: Was simply too vast for daily detection and clearance efforts. For the SADF and the police, the only other viable option was the adoption of armoured personnel carriers with mine-proof hulls that could move quickly on roads with little risk to their passengers even if a mine was encountered. This would evolve into a new class of military vehicle, the mine resistant and ambush protected vehicle (MRAP). By
23250-405: Was sufficiently alarmed at the violence to deploy a large SADF contingent as well. They were joined by Portuguese troops who moved south from across the border to assist them. By the end of March order had been largely restored and most of the remaining strikers returned to work. Power-to-weight ratio Power-to-weight ratio ( PWR , also called specific power , or power-to-mass ratio )
23405-735: Was the central requirement of the Mk. 2 program. The project received the go-ahead on 15 March 1996, with Lt Col K. Viljoen as project leader. The project was completed three weeks ahead of schedule and the two helicopters delivered to 22 Sqdn, during October 1997. One of the Mk. 2 Oryx helicopters was written off subsequent to a crash landing in July 2004. General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Related lists [REDACTED] Media related to Oryx of SAAF at Wikimedia Commons South African Border War Military stalemate [REDACTED] South Africa The South African Border War , also known as
23560-623: Was the first nationalist body claiming to support the interests of all black South West Africans, irrespective of tribe or language. SWAPA's activists were predominantly Herero students, schoolteachers, and other members of the emerging black intelligentsia in Windhoek. Meanwhile, the Ovamboland People's Congress (later the Ovamboland People's Organisation , or OPO) was formed by nationalists among partly urbanised migrant Ovambo labourers in Cape Town . The OPO's constitution cited
23715-408: Was to extend the type's service life through to the 2015 - 2020 timeframe. In large part due to ongoing budgetary restrictions, the mid-life upgrade was limited in scope to life extensions to the air frame, although limited updates were performed to both the communications and navigation suites as well. Early ambitions had reportedly involved a more comprehensive modernisation of the Oryx, which included
23870-485: Was unwilling to guarantee its share of the £20,000 would be used for armed struggle, this grant was awarded to SWAPO instead. The OAU then withdrew recognition from SWANU, leaving SWAPO as the sole beneficiary of pan-African legitimacy. With OAU assistance, SWAPO opened diplomatic offices in Lusaka , Cairo , and London . SWANU belatedly embarked on a ten-year programme to raise its own guerrilla army. In September 1965,
24025-471: Was viewed with wariness by the South African government. National Party politicians began warning it would only be a matter of time before they were faced with a Soviet-directed insurgency on their borders. Outlying regions in South West Africa, namely the Caprivi Strip , became the focus of massive SADF air and ground training manoeuvres, as well as heightened border patrols. A year before SWAPO made
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