The predicament of the SA Air Force (SAAF) of having unserviceable helicopters could be a thing of the past before the upcoming national elections.

 

Currently, the air force has only one serviceable Oryx helicopter, which is deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The military command council recently approved that Denel, with Krygkor’s mediation, proceed with repairs on four out of eight Oryx helicopters, to be completed by the end of this month.

 

Four Rooivalk helicopters will also soon be fully operational. The estimated budget for the repairs is R1.2 billion, with the SAAF committing to pay it off over three years at R400 million annually. Denel has given assurances that there will be no delays in the repairs and that parts are available for immediate use.

 

Previously, the main issue between the SAAF and Denel was that the latter’s quotations for the air force were unaffordable. In November, during the medium- term budget speech, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana allocated an additional R1.3 billion to the department of defence, with the SAAF receiving R289 million of it.

 

This boost to the defence budget was granted thanks to the military’s compensation for peacekeeping operations from the UN and the AU in the DRC and Mozambique, respectively. The rest of the funds were obtained from the sale of decommissioned military equipment.

 

At least two Oryx helicopters have been shot to pieces during operations in the DRC in the past two years, incurring significant repair costs. 

 

In Mozambique, the helicopters have also been repeatedly damaged in operations against extremist insurgents. Currently, there is only one Oryx operational both abroad and in South Africa – the remaining one in the DRC. The rest of the SAAF’s fleet of 39 Oryx helicopters must all undergo major overhauls and other repairs before they are permitted to fly again.

 

While the operational helicopters will be needed to help deploy soldiers and/or drop off ballots in the event of an emergency during next month’s national elections, the prime priority is to make at least two Oryxes and three Rooivalks operational in the DRC.

 

The Rooivalks currently in the DRC will have to be shipped to South Africa in crates, since they have not flown for the past two years and the crews’ flight currency certifications have expired. 

 

It is unclear whether the same helicopters, currently earmarked for use by the UN force, will be transferred to the regional force of the Southern African Development Community Mission (SAMIDRC), now deployed in the DRC.

 

The UN is expected to end its mission in the country this year, while the regional force is already there to fill the expected gap. At the time of going to print, neither the military nor Krygkor had responded to repeated inquiries from City Press’ sister publication Rapport.

 

Flight crew members at the respective squadrons say they welcome the news that they will soon be able to fly again. Even if the helicopters are ready by the end of the month, it is highly unlikely that there will be enough crew ready to fly them. There are currently about 75 crew members across the seven squadrons operating Oryx and Rooivalk helicopters, including pilots and flight engineers. Only a few of them have valid currencies.

 

In some cases, there are squadrons without a single qualified crew member. Crew members must fly a certain number of hours each month to maintain their qualification, or else the currency expires and refresher training must be undergone. However, this process can only begin once helicopters are available.

 

According to a crew member, refresher training can require 10 to 15 flying hours, depending on how long it has been since an individual last flew. Apart from its 39 Oryxes, the SAAF also has 11 Rooivalks.

 

During a briefing session to the parliamentary committee on defence in February, Thobekile Gamede, acting secretary of defence, mentioned that only about 54% of the helicopter crews’ currencies were partially or fully up to date.

According to Gamede, on average, 63% of all flight crew positions are currently filled. In the helicopter ranks, 86% of positions are filled.

 

Denel is the original manufacturer of the Oryx and the Rooivalk, and its test pilots will assist with the additional training.

 

At the recent military command council meeting, there was a dispute over whether the SAAF should pay for that training, with Denel eventually agreeing to do so.

 

As published in City Press newspaper.