Denel

Denel SOC Ltd

Type	State-owned enterprise
Industry	Aerospace and Defence manufacturing
Founded	1991
Headquarters	Centurion, Gauteng, South Africa
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Zwelakhe Ntshepe (CEO) Fikile Mhlontlo (CFO) Jan Wessels (COO)
Products	Guided missiles UAVs Armoured vehicle turrets Glide bombs Artillery systems Ammunition
Revenue	R 3.918 billion (FY 2013)
Operating income	R 117 million (FY 2013)
Net income	R 71 million (FY 2013)
Total equity	R 1.17 billion (FY 2013)
Number of employees	7634
Parent	100% state owned
Website	denel.co.za

Denel SOC Ltd is a South African state-owned aerospace and defence technology conglomerate established in 1991. It was created when the manufacturing subsidiaries of Armscor were split off in order for Armscor to become the procurement agency for South African Defence Force (SADF), now known as the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), and the manufacturing divisions were grouped together under Denel as divisions.

Denel was established as a state-owned industrial company under the Ministry of Public Enterprises in April 1992. It inherited most of Armscor's production and research facilities, and over 15,000 employees. At the time of its formation, Denel restructured and reorganised the former Armscor subsidiaries into a number of divisions and subsidiaries within five industrial groups: systems, manufacturing, aerospace, informatics, and properties and engineering services.

Denel has developed a number of notable products, such as:

The Overberg Test Range is used for advanced aerial testing of missiles by Denel and other clients such as NASA, EADS and BAE Systems.

Though Denel's market share is increasing, it still has not signed significant international contracts that will bring a real market return for its investments in development and research costs. In 2006, Denel signed a contract with the Finnish Navy for the Umkhonto air defence missile; this was a significant step, since it was the first significant sale to a western nation. The Swedish defence force was also interested in the Umkhonto missile, but due to budget constraints had to put their plan on hold.

Though Denel has comparable quality products, at lower prices, it has struggled to attract buyers, with the Rooivalk attack helicopter being a prime example of this. After being developed at a cost of R1 billion, no sales were made as the contract from Turkey for $2 billion was lost. The sale of the Rooivalk, which could be Denel's most profitable project, also threatens to be its largest loss ever.