QUANTUM International would take Armscor to court as soon as the courts resumed this month, the firm's legal representatives said yesterday. 

Attorney Jack Hajibey insisted yesterday that the arms supplier had an agreement with the firm. "Armscor keeps on talking about a preferred bidder. I don't know where that comes from because there were no other bidders. They were negotiating with one firm my client."

He said the $28m contract would have created more than 1000 jobs if it had succeeded. "We would have thought that Armscor would be interested in making this work. We would be interested in how much they have sold the planes for now."

Hajibey denied there was a condition that Quantum produce an end-user certificate, and that the deal was subject to approval by the national conventional arms control committee. Quantum International directors Roy Segers and Richard Parker began negotiations with Armscor to buy nine Frenchbuilt C160 Transall cargo planes more than three years ago.

With acknowledgement to Bonile Ngqiyaza and Business Day.