SIR - It's a matter of concern when Business Day gets its facts wrong, more so when it does so in a lead article, Denel's Turkish delight sours on Rooivalk flop (April 3), and an editorial, Rooivalk flop (April 4).

I've consistently reiterated that Denel's turnaround strategy hinged on unbundling the company to mitigate the impact of one business on the rest. The Rooivalk bid in Turkey was ring-fenced from Denel's turnaround. Last Friday we pertinently stated : "Denel had not accounted for any Rooivalk revenues into the company's budget for the future."

Discussions with the defence department revolve around logistic support for SA's existing fleet of 12 Rooivalks - not "an effort to sell more Rooivalk helicopters to the South African Air Force" as your reporter inaccurately quoted.

Also, Denel has never marketed the Rooivalk in any of the countries you mention in the editorial.

Who raised concerns about the technology in Rooivalk "becoming outdated", which "may have led to the helicopter's failure to win the tender"? Speculation again, as the Turkish authorities have yet to elaborate on their decision.

Rooivalk's technology remains state-of-the-art because subsystems are continuously updated to the latest standards. Clients know this, selecting an aircraft on its capabilities and how well it fits into the envisaged role.

The truth is, in Turkey the Rooivalk came out tops on the technical evaluation.

Quoting unnamed "analysts" is a subterfuge. Military expert Helmoed Heitman pointed this out to Business Day last July when your reported quoted "military analysts" as saying the defence ministry's purchase of the Agusta A109 "was indicative of its dissatisfaction with the Rooivalk's capabilities" - when in fact these two distinct helicopter tyupes do entirely different jobs!

Surely it takes very little to verify facts? Denel would gladly help your reporters get a better understanding of our business.

Shaun Liebenberg
Group CEO, Denel

- Business Day stands by the accuracy of its front-page report, The Editor.

With acknowledgements to Shaun Liebenberg and Business Day.