Cheetah D upgrade and the Cheetah "D/C" prototype
From an early stage it was realised that the Cheetah D could benefit form a more powerful engine. A Cheetah D no 844 suffered severe fire damage to its rear fuselage following a heavy landing at AFB Louis Trichardt. Damaged Cheetah D was returned to Atlas for repair. The aircraft was subjected to a detailed examination and it was concluded: the front half of the airframe and it's key systems did not suffer serious damage. Atlas funded a private venture to carry out a feasibility study on upgrading the Cheetah D. The rear fuselage and engine were removed and minor damage on the rest of the fuselage was repaired. Next was the attachment of the rear fuselage from a Mirage IIIR2Z and a vertical stabiliser from a new Cheetah C. By this time the Cheetah C program was at an advanced stage, with deliveries beyond the half way mark.
It was decided to replace the original 09C engine with a 9K50 engine. A single piece windshield and a C type undercarriage were also fitted. The private venture project lasted from 7 July '94 until 25 November 1994, when 844 took to the air again. Flight tests showed a considerable performance increase, while offering far better agility. This aircraft was on static display at the 1995 Paris Air Show. The SAAF was suitable impressed with the upgraded Cheetah D and all the Cheetah Ds were upgraded to this standard. First batch to be converted were serial numbers: 849, 852, 859, 860 and 862. This upgrade also included new avionics to bring them on par with the Cheetah C, for which the aircraft serve as a trainer. However, Cheetah D, serial number 844, is sometimes referred to as Cheetah D/C.
Some of the Cheetah Ds differs in very subtle ways, the main area being the ventral fairing at the bottom of the aircraft. There are three different types in use and depends on the airframe used in the original conversion. As this is at the bottom of the aircraft - it is not normally noticed. The media has published various designations for the Cheetah D like D, D2, D/C etc. but in the SAAF only Cheetah D is used, regardless of the fuselage used for the basis of Cheetah D no 844.
The Cheetah D celebrated its 10th anniversary in service with theSAAF during 1996 as part of a special ceremony. Over the years the Cheetah D was constantly refined and upgraded and the latest addition to these aircraft is the fitment of an explosive cord in the canopy frame. But this is hardly noticeable as the cord is fitted into the frame and not into the windscreen. Currently Cheetah D no 844 is used by DENEL for system testing - the air show performance of this double seater is spectacular. All the other Cheetah Ds is operational with 2 Sqdn in the operational training role, with no 845, the original Cheetah D in use by TFDC for systems testing.
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