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A new defensive pod technology for fast jets

Local engineering SMMEs Sysdel and Sovereignty Systems have joined the exclusive club of entities that have successfully developed and flown stores on a very demanding fast-jet combat aircraft. The companies joined CSIR engineers for flight tests of a new defensive pod they designed, integrated and tested with the technical support of CSIR aerospace experts. 

In March 2024, a South African Air Force (SAAF) BAE Hawk Mk120 fast jet took to the skies near Cape Agulhas, carrying a new, locally developed technology that could help aircraft defend against attacks. 


The South African Air Force’s BAE Hawk Mk120 captured during a flight test at Air Force Base Overberg in the Western Cape. Engineers from the CSIR and two local SMMEs fitted the aircraft with the new, proudly South African ACEPOD Mk2.

These flight tests were the culmination of work that began in 2019 when Armscor tasked the CSIR to assist local small business Sysdel CC with integrating their new pod with the Hawk aircraft. 

The CSIR’s aerospace experts were commissioned to lend their decades of aeronautical research and development experience in the fast jet environment, which was a novel challenge for the SMME.  

“We helped them to develop something that would be safe to fly in a very challenging combat aircraft environment,” says veteran aeronautical engineer and aircraft store integration specialist at the CSIR Kevin Jamison.  

He says the CSIR has contributed to a range of technologies since 2019, and testing is ongoing. 

[This article is featured in the "Shoulder to shoulder with SMMEs" edition of ScienceScope]

“We have a powerful computer cluster, which we use for calculations called computational aerodynamics,” says Jamison, adding that this project required extensive computational fluid dynamic calculations. This essentially entails predicting how travelling at speed through air or liquid would affect the forces on an aircraft or pod.  

The CSIR team further supported the SMME with engineering analyses. “We did ground vibration testing and flutter analysis, and we supported them with fit checks at the air force base,” says Jamison. “We also assisted with specifications for the aircraft integration, describing the flight environment and safety checks.” 

Sysdel CC also subcontracted a youthful team from a local black-owned SMME, Sovereignty Systems, for additional engineering support on the project. 

Once the pod was successfully integrated onto the aircraft, the CSIR facilitated the March flight test at the SAAF’s Test Flight and Development Centre at Air Force Base Overberg, near Cape Agulhas.  

“We used this opportunity to expose young engineers to fast jet flight testing, which is a real privilege that seldom comes along nowadays,” says Jamison. These young engineers have recently completed their store integration courses offered by the CSIR and a company called Midnite Aerospace Solutions. 

The new, proudly South African ACEPOD Mk2 was unveiled to the public at the Africa Aerospace and Defence Expo in September 2024.  


The combined flight test team from local SMMEs Sysdel (left) and Sovereignty Systems (right), with the CSIR, in front of a BAE Hawk Mk120 aircraft. The fast jet is carrying Sysdel’s new ACEPOD Mk2. The CSIR supported the design, integration and testing of the pod together with the South African Air Force, thereby capacitating the two SMMEs to compete in the global aerospace industry  

“This pod is the largest store ever integrated on the centreline of the Hawk anywhere in the world,” says Jamison, adding that the CSIR has applied for a patent for the integration process to protect South Africa’s strategically important ability to integrate stores with aircraft independently of original equipment manufacturers. 

The next phase of flight and ground testing to prove the technological capabilities of the pod is expected to be completed early in 2025. 

Jamison says the partnership between the CSIR and these two SMMEs is ultimately a story about capacity building.  

“Sysdel and Sovereignty Systems can now be key players in terms of developing pods for fast jet aircraft, and we look forward to seeing the next generation of flight test engineers at work.” 

Contact Person

Kevin Jamison

kjamison@csir.co.za
In March 2024, a South African Air Force fast jet took to the skies near Cape Agulhas, carrying a new, locally developed technology that could help aircraft defend against attacks. These flight tests were the culmination of work that began in 2019 when Armscor tasked the CSIR to assist local small business Sysdel CC with integrating their new pod with the Hawk aircraft.