It is an awe-inspiring sight, watching a nine-tonne attack helicopter perform a loop and barrel rolls, the aeronautical equivalent of Luciano Pavarotti performing a perfect pike on the diving board.

Here’s What You Need to Know: The helicopter is still operated solely by South Africa. The Atlas (now Denel) AH-2 Rooivalk (Red Kestrel) is in many ways a legacy of South Africa’s effort to develop an ...