Billed as the first military aircraft to be designed and built entirely in Africa, Paramount Aerospace’s AHRLAC (advanced high-performance reconnaissance light aircraft) made its public debut at the Africa Aerospace and Defence show, held last week at Waterkloof AFB, near Pretoria in South Africa. The aircraft had made its first flight on August 13.

AHRLAC was developed and built with Paramount Group funding at Aerosud’s facility adjacent to the air base, but was taken by road to Wonderboom airfield for initial flight trials. Paramount recently acquired Aerosud’s defence business (except for Airbus DS A400M component manufacture), renaming the division as Paramount Aerospace.

Preceded by a quarter-scale remote-controlled flying model that undertook approximately 80 flights, the initial AHRLAC is known as the XDM (experimental demonstrator). It is fitted with strain gauges and is being used to test aircraft systems and handling. The company is conducting an initial 20-hour test campaign to clear a basic envelope, before more advanced trials begin. The AHRLAC is fitted with telemetry equipment to relay data to a mobile ground station, and also to a Pilatus PC-12 that is employed as a chase plane.

Now in construction is a second AHRLAC prototype, the ADM (advanced demonstrator). This will be fitted with the aircraft’s intended Martin-Baker Mk 12 ejection seats, and will be used to test the mission system. The ADM is scheduled to fly next year, according to Paul Potgieter Jr, the AHRLAC program manager.

Paramount also unveiled two new UAVs at AAD, products of the newly formed Paramount Advanced Technologies division (formerly ATE). One of them, the Mwari, is based on the scale model of the AHRLAC, with a sensor turret mounted in the nose. Two prototypes have been constructed. The second type is the Roadrunner, a small UAV with a rhomboid wing configuration. The Roadrunner is being tested with ducted and unducted petrol or electric engines, with a turbine as an option. The aircraft can achieve a speed range of approximately 43 to 185 mph. This allows it to dash to areas of interest before loitering at low speed for long endurance. The Roadrunner is still in development, and is expected to be ready for production early next year. Paramount also revealed that it is studying a light MALE UAV, with full development scheduled to begin next year.

Both AHRLAC and the UAVs could form some part of the strategic agreement announced by Paramount and Boeing at the Farnborough airshow in July and reaffirmed during AAD. Although no details were forthcoming during last week’s show, it was revealed that two two companies are already working on two specific projects as part of the accord.