Another Aggressor Cheetah
According to Aviation.co.za, another Atlas Cheetah fighter, destined for the US private adversary company Draken International has recently made its first testflight after almost twenty years in storage.
The aircraft, former Suid Afrikaanse Lugmag (SAAF, South African Air Force) 376, was flown by test pilot Ivan “Viking” Pentz. The jet is one of a package of twelve of the Cheetah C fighters that are gradually being returned to airworthiness by Denel (the successor of Atlas) at O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg (South Africa).
The Cheetah was withdrawn from SAAF service in 2008, twelve aircraft were sold to the Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana (FAE, Ecuadorian Air Force). Currently, ten fighters have been delivered and it is reported that the remaining two will not be shipped to Ecuador and wil stay in South Africa. Maybe they will be used as for spares.
Most of the remaining airframes were stored. In 2017, twelve aircraft of the single seat Cheetah C version were sold to Draken International.
Once returned to airworthy status and adequately testflown, they will be shipped to the USA. The civilian serial range N681EM to N692EM inclusive is thought to be reserved for the Cheetahs.
According to the Scramble Magazine SAAF database, the following Cheetahs are known to have been sold to Draken International: former SAAF 344, 345, 353, 361, 363, 369, 370, 375, 376, 845, 858 and 859.
Photos: Casper van Zyl