SAAF secures South Africa’s airspace for historic G20 summit
Date: 5 December 2025
Dean Wingrin
The 2025 Group of Twenty (G20) Summit, held at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in South Africa from 22 to 23 November, was the first G20 summit to take place on the African continent. Throughout the event, the South African Air Force (SAAF) maintained a highly visible presence.
South Africa significantly beefed up its security posture ahead of and during the summit to safeguard delegates and heads of state. Over the course of the Leaders’ Summit, numerous SAAF units played a vital role in securing the national airspace, deploying a range of specialised assets and accumulating more than 133 flying hours in support of the operation.
Drawing on lessons learned from its air-cover responsibilities during the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, the SAAF delivered an impressive performance despite tighter budget constraints and a reduced operational fleet. The Directorate Combat Systems employed four Gripen fighter aircraft from 2 Squadron, five Hawk Mk 120s from 85 Combat Flying School, and a Mobile Ground Signal Intelligence System (MGSS) to conduct tactical air reconnaissance.
The MGSS, which provides mobile command-and-control (C2) communications capabilities, forms part of the SAAF’s Mobile Communications Unit (MCU). The MCU is responsible for delivering operational, mobile and deployable communications and electronic warfare (EW) support to the Air Force.
The Directorate Helicopter Systems deployed three Rooivalk attack helicopters from 16 Squadron, two Oryx medium-transport helicopters, and two Agusta A109 light-utility helicopters to provide command and control, close air support, and counter-incursion capability against potential surprise raids.
Meanwhile, the Directorate Command and Control Systems operated a Plessey Tactical Mobile Radar, as used by 142 Squadron. This system, based on the Marconi S711 radar, is mounted on MAN 8×8 vehicles, enabling rapid mobility and deployment. The Directorate also provided a Sector Control Centre at Bushveld Airspace Control Sector (BACS), two anti-drone Sentries, a frequency-spectrum analyser, and mobile communications facilities to maintain a comprehensive air situational picture across South Africa’s airspace.
Although not officially confirmed, the anti-drone Sentries may refer to DroneShield’s DroneSentry mobile counter-drone (C-UAS) system, which integrates various sensors, including radio frequency (RF), radar and optical, to detect, track and defeat unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
Spectrum analysers, vital to communications and EW operations, are used to detect and identify radio emissions across unknown frequencies, assisting in the localisation and classification of communication or radar signals.
In terms of flying hours, the four Gripen aircraft accumulated 25.8 flight hours, while the Hawks recorded 39.1 hours on G20 support duty. The Rooivalk fleet logged 21.6 hours, Oryx helicopters flew 10 hours, and the A109s contributed 36.7 hours.
Rear Admiral (JG) Prince Tshabalala, Director of Defence Corporate Communication, told DefenceWeb that “the SAAF successfully met all operational objectives set for the G20 Summit.”
In addition to the SAAF’s efforts, the South African Army undertook ceremonial duties, with the National Ceremonial Guard receiving and bidding farewell to heads of state from 20 to 25 November 2025 at OR Tambo International Airport. The Army also maintained a standby force to respond to any eventuality.
Republished with permission of DefenceWeb.
