Armscor

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Armaments Corporation of South Africa SOC Ltd.

logo
legal form State company
founding 1968
Seat South AfricaSouth AfricaPretoria, South Africa
management Kevin Wakeford ( CEO )
Number of employees 1510 (2015)
sales 1.45 billion rand (2014)
Branch Defense industry
Website www.armscor.co.za

The Armaments Corporation of South Africa ( afrikaans : Krygstuig Korporasie van Suid-Afrika , abbreviated: Krygkor ; English abbreviated: Armscor , also ARMSCOR) is a South African state company. It was founded with the aim of establishing an internationally largely independent sector for weapons development and armaments production and, if necessary, to procure military components abroad in order to provide the country's armed forces with a wide range of military equipment. Today the company is called Armaments Corporation of South Africa SOC Ltd. and is under the control of the Minister of Defense and Military Veterans . The Republic of South Africa is the sole shareholder.

Current structures

The company is directed by its Board of Directors , the chairman of which is appointed by the Department of Defense. The Chairman and CEO are in close contact with the Secretary of Defense , the Chief of the SANDF and industrial companies in the sector.

The state-owned company operates on the basis of the Armaments Corporation of South Africa, Limited (Ltd) Act ( Act No. 51/2003 ). The current Board of Directors was appointed on May 1, 2014 by the Minister of Defense. Its chairman was Vice Admiral (Ret) Refiloe Johannes Mudimu (until 2014 Chief of the South African Navy ) and his deputy, Ambassador Thuthukile Skweyiya , who succeeded him in 2018.

Armscor's primary task is to provide a cost-effective service for the former South African armed forces , which were restructured after 1994, in the implementation of their capital procurement programs, the supply of materials in compliance with state requirements, the control of technological processes in coordination with the Ministry of Defense and the strengthening of industrial cooperation through joint activities. For the purpose of developing its international relations, the company participates in numerous foreign trade fairs and exhibitions, for example at Eurosatory , IDELF , IDEX or SOFEX .

The research and development department operates and supports projects as well as industrial areas of armaments development according to the specifications of the Ministry of Defense, which appear to be desirable from both a strategic security and commercial point of view. The department has existed at Armscor since April 1, 2013 and was previously an independent state-owned company, Armscor Defense Institutes SOC Ltd. Domestic cooperation relationships exist primarily with the state armaments company Denel .

Armscor operates a shipyard ( Naval Dockyard ) for the South African Navy . Maintenance work on ships, submarines and coastal protection systems is carried out here.

Armscor operates a test station in the Northern Cape Province , the Alkantpan Test Range . The area, which extends over 85,000 hectares and is 67 kilometers long and 13 kilometers wide, is used by South Africa for ballistic tests by artillery, UAVs , short-range missiles and air defense systems. Calibers from a maximum of 155 mm up to 30 kilometers are shot here. In addition, it is also accessible to international customers. After the most important foreign customer, Singapore , the Bundeswehr , Rheinmetall and Oto Melara also used the area. The site is located 75 kilometers west of Prieska .

Armscor before 1994

On the initiative of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research ( CSIR ), the National Institute for Defense Research was founded in 1954 (German roughly: "National Institute for Defense Research"). Under his leadership a steadily growing military research took place until 1968 through a new law ( Armaments Development and Production Act, Act No. 57/1968 ) establishing the successor institution, the Armaments Development and Production Corporation of South Africa Ltd. (English: Armscor; Afrikaans: Krygkor) came, who was responsible for development and production. Arms procurement was previously the responsibility of the Munitions Production Board , now called the Armaments Board of South Africa (1968 to 1977). In the course of these efforts to concentrate on the part of the government, a more closely cooperating industrial group consisting of large state and private arms companies in South Africa was formed. These included the companies Atlas Aircraft / Telcast , Infoplan , Kentron / Eloptro , Lyttelton Engineering Works (later Denel Land Systems), Musgrave , Naschem (later Rheinmetall Denel Munition), Pretoria Metal Pressings (later Denel PMP), Somchem (later Rheinmetall Denel Munition) ) and Swartklip (later Rheinmetall Denel Munition). The circle of companies involved in this expanded in later years, with Lyttelton Engineering Works (LIW, Lyttelton Ingenieurswerke) assuming a key role within the South African defense industry and developing into a high-tech company in the mechanical engineering sector and electrical engineering. The G5 and G6 howitzers and the R1 assault rifle are among LIW's best-known development projects .

In 1977 there was a restructuring in this sector. Now also responsible for the procurement of foreign armaments, the company grew under the name Armaments Corporation of South Africa Ltd. (1977 to 1992). Several aspects and structures were changed in the South African military sector in 1977. The basis for this was provided by the Defense White Paper that had been submitted to Parliament. In doing so, the government recommended the MPs to drastically reduce their dependence on foreign cooperation partners in the arms sector. During this time the United States and other countries tightened their arms sanctions against South Africa. In a parliamentary debate, the defense minister admitted that 57% of the military equipment comes from overseas suppliers, but avoided naming the specific origin of these goods. He criticized this one deputies of the United Party , because this France had called the main supplier. In the course of the political debate, the minister stated that the procurement of arms from difficult third-party sources ran counter to previous policy and was therefore out of the question.

In August 1977 France, after prior consultation with the Soviet Union and the United States , requested the South African government not to proceed with the preparations for a nuclear weapons test in the Kalahari , which had become apparent on the basis of images from a Soviet reconnaissance satellite.

Armscor developed and produced weapon systems and military supplies. Depending on the project, the company procured missing components on the international market or cooperated with partners in other countries. His fields of activity in the early 1980s included the following areas in the South African production spectrum:

At this time, the focus within the desired autarky in armaments development was on the product groups: artillery pieces and rockets, artillery fire control systems, short-range missiles , mine computer technology, mine detectors , mine detonators and mine-resistant vehicles, emergency vehicles, armored vehicles, tactical communication means, programmable anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines, finally ammunition and weapons of all kinds.

During apartheid South Africa was affected by various embargo resolutions by the UN and individual states. This also included the armaments sector. In view of this situation, then Defense Minister Magnus Malan stated that South Africa was not affected by the embargo policy around 1982 with its ammunition requirements and that 141 different types of ammunition are currently being produced in the country.

The Overberg Test Range missile test site was created under Armscor in 1984 . Commissioning began in 1987. This replaced an earlier test site in St. Lucia.

Vastrap area

The Union of South Africa acquired its first nuclear reactor from the United States in 1957 . After a period of civil development in this area, military applications were conceived. The country kept its nuclear weapons program secret for a long time. Only in 1977 was a change of course officially granted and thus military use. However, US intelligence reports documented efforts in South Africa since 1973. International pressure on the country, however, prevented nuclear explosions from being carried out for experimental purposes. In 1982 South Africa had its first operational nuclear explosive device. By 1989 a total of 6 operational nuclear weapons, each with 55 kilograms of HEU and the delivery systems required for their use, were built.

Only later could the actual existence of a complete nuclear weapons test program be proven. In 1974, in great secrecy, the South African government began developing the Vastrap area in the Kalahari not far from Upington as a test site for intended underground nuclear tests. To this end, two holes were drilled, the first 385 m deep by November 1976 and the second 216 m deep in 1977. Both were horizontally 780 m apart. The program, initially operated by the Atomic Energy Board , did not progress as planned due to international protest and was transferred to Armscor in 1979. In 1987, on the instructions of President Pieter Willem Botha, an inspection of the test site in the Kalahari was carried out by Armscor employees to determine whether it was still suitable. As a result of this exploration, a metallic privacy screen was erected over both boreholes, which when viewed from space could be interpreted as a hangar . When South Africa joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Agreement in 1991 , the International Atomic Energy Agency requested an inspection of the Vastrap area . This request was rejected by South Africa and the area was presented as a test area for the South African Defense Force for target practice. Borehole 1 was later covered with a sheet metal hall. Borehole 2 had a concrete cover measuring 2.5 x 2.5 m.

Armscor was central director of the nuclear armament of South Africa from 1979 to 1989. It was not until April 29, 1993, following international pressure, that an IAEA inspection team was able to visit and examine the facility. Shortly before, Frederik Willem de Klerk decided to publicly admit the program's former existence. In the late 1980s, Armscor deposited destroyed military equipment close to the two wells to simulate conventional use of the area. The holes were finally filled with concrete and thus made unusable.

In September 2017, President Jacob Zuma signed the Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty for South Africa.

Company holdings and capital (2015)

  • 2015: 33.3% investment in Africa Aerospace and Defense
  • 2015: The following state-owned companies also have dormant financial commitments: Erasmusrand Eiendomme SOC Ltd. , Oospark SOC Ltd. and Sportrand SOC Ltd.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Armscor: Executive Committee . on www.armscor.co.za (English), viewed April 2, 2018
  2. ↑ a b c d e Annual Report 2014/2015 ( English , PDF) In: armscor.co.za . March 31, 2015. Archived from the original on June 19, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved June 19, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.armscor.co.za
  3. ↑ a b Armscor: Corporate Information . on www.armscor.co.za, as viewed April 2, 2018
  4. ↑ a b c Armscor: Disclaimer . on www.armscor.co.za, as viewed April 2, 2018
  5. ↑ defenseWeb: Former ambassador Skweyiya is new Armscor chair . News from April 2, 2019 on www.defenceweb.co.za (English)
  6. ^ Armscor: Strategic Objectives . on www.armscor.co.za (English), as viewed October 12, 2016
  7. ^ Armscor: Calendar of Events . on www.armscor.co.za (English), as viewed October 12, 2016
  8. ^ Armscor: Research & Development . on www.armscor.co.za (English), as viewed October 12, 2016
  9. ^ Armscor: Dockyard . on www.armscor.co.za (English), as viewed October 12, 2016
  10. ↑ defenseWeb: Mixed performance for Armscor's test ranges . Announcement from December 3, 2015 at www.defenceweb.co.za (English)
  11. ↑ Access Advertising: Alkantpan Test Range, a division of Armscor SOC Ltd . on www.accessadz.com (English)
  12. ↑ Armscor: Alkantpan . on www.armscor.co.za (English), as viewed October 12, 2016
  13. ^ SAIRR : A Survey of Race Relations in South Africa 1968 . Johannesburg 1969, p. 38
  14. ^ Armscor: Corporate Information . on www.armscor.co.za (English), as viewed October 12, 2016
  15. ^ A b Armscor: History . on www.armscor.co.za (English), as viewed October 12, 2016
  16. ^ Denel Land Systems: Overview and History . on www.denellandsystems.co.za (English)
  17. ↑ a b c Rheinmetall Denel ammunition: Rheinmetall Denel ammunition . at www.somchemreload.com (English)
  18. ↑ Denel: Denel PMP . on www.pmp.co.za (English)
  19. ↑ James M. Roherty: State security in South Africa. civil-military relations under PW Botha . Armonk, NY, p. 123, footnote 54 ISBN 0873328779 online version in excerpts (English)
  20. ^ Joint Publications Research Service: JPRS Report April 24, 1990: Arms Control. Republic of South Africa. P. 10 (PDF document p. 12). at www.dtic.mil (English)
  21. ↑ SAIRR: Survey 1977 , Johannesburg 1978, pp. 86-87
  22. ↑ Zondi Masiza: A Chronology of South Africa's Nuclear Program . online at www.auteurs.harmattan.fr (English)
  23. ↑ SAIRR: Survey 1982 , 1983, pp. 199-200
  24. ↑ SAIRR: Survey 1982 , 1983, p. 200
  25. ↑ Guy Martin: Feature: Denel Overberg Test Range targeting growth . Announcement from May 22, 2015 on www.defenceweb.co.za (English)
  26. ^ A b International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons : South Africa: from nuclear armed state to disarmament hero . Report of February 25, 2019 on www.icanw.org (English)
  27. ^ David Albright, Andrea Stricker: Revisiting South Africa's nuclear weapons program: its history, dismantlement, and lessons for today . Institute for Science and International Security , Washington DC 2016, ISBN 978-1-5368-4565-5
  28. ^ Institute for Science and International Security : Rendering Useless South Africa's Nuclear Test Shafts in the Kalahari Desert . ISIS Report, November 30, 2011