DEFENCE
PART 1
GUY LEITCH
SA Air Force claims less than 25% availability Less than a quarter of the South African Air Force’s (SAAF’s) inventory of aircraft is operable as budget cuts, COVID-19 and Denel's capabilities are being eroded. Only 46 of the SAAF's 217 aircraft are now operable, according to an Armscor presentation.
T
HIS WAS REVEALED DURING a briefing by the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (PCDMV), which looked into the status of Denel and other service providers' maintenance of the SAAF fleet. On 15 February 2022 the breakdown of fleet availability provided to parliament was as follows: In the helicopter fleet, four out of 11 Rooivalk helicopters, 17 out of 39 Oryx helicopters, and three out of six BK 117 helicopters are operational. (One BK 117 is beyond economical repair). Only three of the 30 A109 Light Utility Helicopters are operational, while five are beyond financial repair. The four Lynx naval helicopters are all out of commission. In the VIP fleet, the presidential Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) is not serviceable as it is still undergoing a major C-check service and repaint. The sole Pilatus PC-12 and one of the three Falcon business aircraft 12 FlightCom: March 2022
are operational. One out of three King Air 200s is operational, with the single King Air 300 being in storage. Transport Aircraft: Only one of the six C-130BZ Hercules transports is operational, and one is beyond economic repair. Five of the eight Caravans are operational, while two are in long-term storage. Two out of three C212s and Three C-47TPs are repairable, five are not, four are in long-term storage, and seven are beyond financial fix. Fighters: None of the 26 Gripens are operational (two are beyond economical repair and 11 are in long-term storage). Only three of the 24 Hawk lead-in fightertrainers are operational, three are beyond economic repair, and 12 are in long-term storage. The majority of the trainer fleet is grounded or in storage – only two of the 35 PC-7 Mk IIs in the SAAF's
