A British weapons company, alleged to have paid millions of pounds in "commissions" to secure a deal to supply fighter aircraft for the South African Air Force, will continue trying to resolve a "historical" investigation into it.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in the United Kingdom said on Thursday that it would pursue bribery charges against BAE Systems.

"The company notes the announcement by the UK's Serious Fraud Office and continues to expend considerable effort seeking to resolve, at the earliest opportunity, the historical matters under investigation by the SFO," BAE said in a statement.

"BAE Systems has at all times acted responsibly in its dealings with the SFO, taking into account the interests of its shareholders and employees and the legal advice it has received.

"If the director of the SFO obtains the consent that he seeks from the Attorney General and proceedings are commenced, the company will deal with any issues raised in those proceedings at the appropriate time and, if necessary, in court."

Democratic Alliance (DA) MP David Maynier welcomed the news, saying the prosecution of BAE Systems represented the "last best hope for us to get to the bottom of what really happened during the arms deal".

"The public has a right to know who was paid and how much they were paid to sway the tendering process in favour of BAE Systems," he said.

"If called upon to do so we hope that if officials from the police service and prosecution authority will continue to cooperate with the Serious Fraud Office in the United Kingdom."