The South African Air Force (SAAF) is still a front-runner in spite of serious capability shortcomings, its head Lieutenant General Carlo Gagiano said during the annual Air Force Day Parade today, as he thanked the SAAF for its service to the nation over the last year.
Two A109 Light Utility Helicopters, carrying South African flags underneath, flew a salute flight over Air Force Base Swartkop this morning as hundreds of South African Air Force personnel paraded up and down in front of assembled dignitaries.
After the parade, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Jeff Radebe presented the South African Air Force Prestige Award to Air Force Base Langebaanweg. The top three performers out of the SAAF’s bases, units and squadrons for 2011 were AFB Bloemspruit, AFB Ysterplaat and AFB Langebaanweg. Gagiano commended AFB Bloemspruit for its role in supporting the ANC’s recent centenary celebrations, notably for providing 24 hour air security using the Gripen fighters.
“With every winner there are some who don’t do well,” Gagiano said of the bases, units and squadrons that did not perform well last year. Consequently, base heads recently went on a three day course to brush up on their skills.
Gagiano said that today’s parade marks another year of SAAF service to the nation and extended his thanks to all involved. He added that he is “well satisfied with the Air Force’s achievements in 2011,” and reviewed the various exercises undertaken over the course of the last year, including joint operations with the police, flying 36 tons of aid to Somalia, and supporting counter-piracy operations off Mozambique, notably through the SAAF’s Lynx helicopters deployed aboard South African Navy frigates.
Other major achievements in 2011 included exercise Winter Solstice, which appropriately took place in the Easter Cape during extreme winter conditions in July. Nine Southern African Development Community nations took part in the Blue Cluster relief exercise in August and the SAAF sent aircraft to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to assist with the elections in November. Air Force aircraft flew 660 hours there, including 300 hours by helicopters and 170 hours by C-130s.
Gagiano praised Denel’s role in keeping the C-130 Hercules fleet in good shape, as Denel is an accredited C-130 maintenance, repair and overhaul centre. Because the Hercules are being carefully looked after, they will remain in service until 2020. 28 Squadron, which operates the type, received the Sword of Peace yesterday for its outstanding humanitarian service.
For all the SAAF’s achievements during 2011, Gagiano warned of “serious shortcomings in capability,” notably in the fields of VIP aircraft, maritime surveillance aircraft, light transport aircraft, night flying capabilities, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Regarding the issue of VIP aircraft, Gagiano said the SAAF was drawing up a memorandum of understanding with South African Airways to lease aircraft.
While there is an “urgent” need to fix the Air Force’s shortcomings, Gagiano said the force also needs to undertake personnel training and career development. He emphasised the importance of training and the Air Force requirement to maintain a balance between the operations and personnel budgets. “Our people are a major asset,” he said, and congratulated the “unassuming backroom personnel” who form a vital component of the SAAF. He noted that personnel losses, a major issue in the past, have not been as high as previous years due to the dire economic climate and the increase in military salaries.
Gagiano warned that the Air Force’s infrastructure is undergoing “large-scale decline” and that there is “slim chance” of it being upgraded. The recent flooding in Mpumalanga has not helped the situation, with flooding estimated to have caused R36 million worth of damage at AFB Hoedespruit.
Another major challenge is flight training and the high cost of fuel. “Flying hours remain a big issue for us,” Gagiano said, adding that the Air Force is trying to make training as cost effective as possible so that pilots can get the maximum number of hours possible given the Air Force’s limited budget. To this end Babcock Central Flying Academy at Swartkop provides training on Cessna 172s while Starlite Aviation in Durban provides helicopter training. Advanced training is being conducted on the PC-7 as much as possible in order to reduce training time on the Hawk, as the Hawks have much higher operating costs.
