Development of the Oryx commenced during the early 1980s, largely in response to the wartime demands of the Border War and the imposition of an arms embargo upon South Africa, which prevented the importing of foreign transport helicopters such as the Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma.

The Oryx is closely connected to the Denel Rooivalk attack helicopter, both rotorcraft being based on the Puma and development having been worked on in parallel around roughly the same time period.

The South African Air Force (SAAF) was a particularly prolific user of the French-sourced Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma, a medium-sized military transport helicopter.

[3] While the Alouette III was a compact helicopter whose design originated in the 1960s, lacking in engine power and being relatively early amongst production rotorcraft and thus not a favourable candidate for further development work, the Puma was substantially larger and was equipped with more powerful engines; both factors provided a broader basis for the accommodation of additional equipment and for potential growth.

[1] While the foreign supply of most military equipment to South Africa was in violation of Resolution 418 at that time, deterring the majority of organisations from doing so, this did not render external assistance entirely beyond the realm of possibility.

[1] According to the author Hennie Van Vuuren, South African military planners arranged for the purchase of 66 Aérospatiale AS332 Super Pumas, an improved model of the Puma already in SAAF service; following their production in France, they would be disassembled for transit and transferred to the Portuguese Air Force, who officially were to be the end recipient, but would in fact transfer the disassembled rotorcraft onto South Africa via a Portuguese intermediary, where they would be reassembled by Atlas under the Oryx name.

[citation needed] Wherever it was feasible to do so, commonality with the Rooivalk's systems was pursued in order to simplify logistics and reduce maintenance costs for both fleets.

Early examples were fitted with the latest dust filters, as were then in use on the SAAF Puma, along with a moveable auxiliary air intake directly ahead of the engine.

[citation needed] The basic airframe is still that of the original Puma, but the structure was modernized by extensive use of locally produced carbon-composite materials.

Additionally a large metal A-frame structure can be fitted in the cargo bay which allows up to four personnel to rappel or abseil from the aircraft simultaneously.

[10] During mid-1991, the SAAF publicly acknowledged that the Oryx was in service and that its purpose was to replace its aging fleets of Pumas and Aérospatiale Super Frelons alike.

[citation needed] Since 2003, the South African Air Force has dispatched multiple Oryx into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in support of UN-led peacekeeping operations in the country.

In 2003, a pair of Oryx were stationed in the Ituri/Bunia area as part of a bilateral agreement with France, being briefly used to facilitate troop movements and medium-grade transport duties.

Tasks performed for the South African Navy include general transportation, at-sea replenishment, force multiplication, reconnaissance, and search & rescue operations.

[citation needed] During 2003, it was announced that, as a part of a major modernisation and reequipment programme, the SAAF had declared ten of its Oryx helicopters to be surplus to requirements and would be made available for re-sale.

At the time, the service was in the process of inducting several new types, including the Saab JAS 39 Gripen multirole fighter, the BAE Systems Hawk trainer/ground attack aircraft, and the AgustaWestland AW109 rotorcraft, the latter being the SAAF's modern rotary-wing component.

Although, operated and flown by 22 Squadron SAAF, these helicopters were specifically built for use by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, as part of the South African National Antarctic Programme.