Major US company Boeing Defence, Space and Security, a unit of the giant Boeing Company and private-sector South African defence and aerospace enterprise the Paramount Group on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Collaboration. The signing took place at the Farnborough Airshow in the UK.

In terms of the memorandum, the two companies will jointly work on opportunities in the defence and security sectors in important international markets. Such opportunities exist regarding border security, coastal piracy and anti-poaching, disaster and humanitarian relief and heavy airlift over long ranges. Concerning platforms, the collaboration could include unmanned air vehicles and their support, different types of Boeing rotorcraft and Paramount land vehicles and aerospace systems.

“Boeing and Paramount will be able to provide new or existing customers with a unique partnering of defence solutions and capabilities, including the retrofitting or refurbishment of existing platforms, systems integration as well as training and maintenance support for new acquisitions,” affirmed Boeing Defence, Space and Security president and CEO Chris Chadwick. “Together we will be able to offer African customers the full scope of defence and security needs from two global leaders in their respective fields.”

“Africa is one of the world’s fastest-growing markets for aerospace and defence equipment and we are very pleased to be partnering with Boeing to combine our various capabilities to better serve our customers in Africa and elsewhere,” averred Paramount Group Chairperson Ivor Ichikowitz. “Paramount has extensive world-class design, development and manufacturing capability in Africa, which we consider to be an asset of the continent. It has for many years been our policy to identify best-of-breed partners to collaborate with in growing our African capability.”

Boeing Defence and Space is a $33-billion business with some 56 000 staff around the world. Paramount was founded in 1994 and describes itself as Africa’s largest privately-owned defence and aerospace company.