The international sanctions laid upon South Africa because of apartheid forced the country to create its own defence industry. The first flight of the Rooivalk attack helicopter dates back to February 1990. The drive train and powerplant are based on the Aerospatiale SA-330 Puma series and the Turbomeca Makila engine. The Rooivalk was a finalist in Turkey's attack helicopter evaluation but lost against the Agusta A129 Mangusta. In the end, only 12 Rooivalks were produced for the SAAF.