New jointly owned design organisation to pool South African certification and engineering capability
The AISI 20-Year Commemoration Celebration at Waterkloof Air Force Base, hosted by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), amongst industry milestones, marked the unveiling of Peregrine Aerospace, a partnership between Henley Air, a leading South African rotorcraft owner, operator and maintenance group; Jonker Sailplanes, the Potchefstroom-based aircraft designer and manufacturer; and On Track Technologies, a specialist engineering design and manufacturing company. The Aerospace Industry Support Initiative (AISI) is an aerospace design and development initiative managed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on behalf of the dtic.
The unveiling formed part of the Henley Air signing-off ceremony within the commemoration, attended by the Honourable Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Ms Angie Motshekga; the Honourable Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Mr Mpho Parks Tau; and the Chief Executive Officer of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Dr Thulani Dlamini. At the ceremony, Henley Group Executive Chairman, Dr André Coetzee, addressed delegates, marked the conclusion of Henley Air’s AISI-supported Bell 222/230 camera mount development project and revealed the Peregrine Aerospace Joint Venture.
Henley Group CEO Mr Boeta Dippenaar handed over a commemorative plaque to the dtic in recognition of two decades of the Aerospace Industry Support Initiative and its role in supporting the development of Peregrine Aerospace. A founding declaration for Peregrine Aerospace was then signed before guests by André Coetzee for Henley Air, Uys Jonker, Director of Jonker Sailplanes, and AP Kotze, Managing Director of On Track Technologies.
Through Peregrine Aerospace, the three partners intend to establish a jointly owned, SACAA-approved aircraft design organisation, a shared platform giving each partner access to common design, certification and approvals capability without each having to establish and maintain its own. The partnership brings together Henley Air’s rotorcraft operations and maintenance expertise, Jonker Sailplanes’ internationally proven aircraft design and manufacturing capability, and On Track Technologies’ precision engineering and composite manufacturing strength.
The corporate structure, regulatory applications and implementation timetable will be finalised by the partners through subsequent definitive agreements and the applicable SACAA approval processes.
Dr Coetzee said, “South African operators have carried the cost and the lead times of imported solutions for long enough. Peregrine Aerospace is about building the capability to design, certify and support aviation products here at home, to the same standard the world expects, at a pace and price our industry can sustain. Today’s signing, at an event marking twenty years of the AISI, is a fitting place to start that journey.”
The announcement comes as South Africa’s aerospace sector continues to invest in local design, certification and advanced manufacturing capability. By pooling three established organisations behind a single design organisation, the partners aim to shorten the path from concept to certified product for South African-developed aviation solutions, while contributing to the skills pipeline and industrial capability that the AISI has supported over the past twenty years. Henley Air’s camera mount programme, signed off today, is a recent example of this support.
Mr Jonker, Director of Jonker Sailplanes, said, “Jonker Sailplanes has spent two decades proving that world-class aircraft can be designed, certified and built in South Africa. Peregrine lets us put that certification experience to work beyond our own products, alongside partners who share our conviction that this industry’s next chapter should be written locally.”
The founding declaration signed today records the partners’ shared intent and is ceremonial in nature; it does not, by itself, constitute the establishment of a licensed design organisation or the launch of any product or service. Details of Peregrine Aerospace’s corporate establishment, its design organisation approval, scope of work and any resulting programmes will be communicated once finalised and approved by the partners and the relevant authorities, including the South African Civil Aviation Authority.
