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SAAF FUNDING: PART 1 of 2
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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.
THIS 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:
The SAAF's Gripens and Hawks are already being cannibalised for spares.
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 are operational. One out of three King Air 200s is operational, with the single King Air 300 being in storage.
Read more of this article and read our excellent Part 2, by Guy Leitch, in this month's edition..
