SA's future acquisitions programmes emerge

South Africa's post strategic defence package (SDP) requirements are becoming clearer. It has long been known that the Army would benefit most in the next decade as its equipment reached block obsolescence, but the air force and navy too needs a number of new platforms to complement and arm SDP systems.

The needs of the Army may have to enjoy priority - it is the service that bears the runt of South Africa's foreign policy support obligations in the form of peacekeeping. The buzz is still that it will receive a new main battle tank (MBT) after 2010 along with much needed armoured personnel carriers (APC), infantry combat vehicles (ICV) and utility trucks.

The Navy plans to replace the last of its Israeli-designed "strike craft" as well as its German-made minesweepers and mine hunters (four of each) with a single class of multi-purpose patrol craft. It also has hopes to acquire two assault/support ships of some as-yet unspecified design to replace its replenishment vessels and gain an amphibious capability.

The Air Force, too, needs additional systems to complement - and arm - its new acquisitions. However, indications are it is reluctant to buy or operate some of the systems other services would like it to. The flying service has long resisted formulating a requirement for a maritime patrol aircraft to augment the Navy in sea control and the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in sea fisheries protection. It is also not keen on asking for more maritime helicopters for operation off the Navy's Meko A200SAN frigates (still called "patrol corvettes" to make them sound cheaper to a sceptical public) or taking up an offer from Airbus Military for A400 transports. At present, South Africa is acquiring four AgustaWestland Super Lynx 300s for operations off the same number of platforms. Naval and industrial sources say a minimum of six is actually required for training, maintenance and rotation purposes. Four are fine if one plans to operate just two ships at a time, but what happens when necessity forces all four vessels to sea at once? Skimping on helicopters to save costs - something that may vessels to stay in port for want of air support in times of tension (read war) brings to mind the satirical ditty "for want of a nail."

Analysts can, of course, wax lyrical about requirements and to a great extent it is an irrelevant debate. Needs and wants are seldom in agreement. Just because a writer may imagine an armed force may need something does not mean that service's acquisitions officials think they want it. It is therefore, perhaps, better to concentrate on what programmes are emerging.

(Selected aviation related) programmes currently in progress include:

- Army

Air Defence: Ground based air defence system (GBADS): Acquisition of one battery's worth of very-short-range, man-portable Thales Starstreak missiles and a Thales/Denel radar-based fire control system.

Rotorcraft: Rooivalk: More money (R200-million a year, for three years) has been allocated to operationalising the SAAF's single AH2A Rooivalk combat support helicopter squadron. 16 Squadron, based at Bloemfontein, is working closely with the SA Army Armoured Corps to fashion doctrine for the craft. Only 12 were built and it is increasingly unlikely any more will be ordered by either the SAAF - who never wanted them - or anyone else.
Ordnance: Mokopa long-range anti-tank missile: The Hellfire-class missile is being developed for the Rooivalk. Denel Aerospace, the missile's manufacturer, is also proposing vehicle- and boat launched versions, but so far, no takers.

(Selected aviation related) emerging programmes, per service, include:

- Army

Air Defence: SHORAD: A later phase of the GBADS programme could include a land-based version of the Umkhonto. Denel is hopeful either the Army or the Air Force will generate a requirement and fund the systems development. In its latest incarnation, a containerised vertical-launch version of Umkhonto was on display at Africa Aerospace & Defence in September. The 12 tube system rotates 90 degrees to allow reloading from the side. The system as displayed is no doubt a version of the land-based test system currently deployed at the Overberg Test Range in the southern Cape where the naval Umkhonto, ordered by the SA and Finnish Navies are being operationalised. At the time of writing no shipboard launches had been undertaken as the system is not yet certified that it can do it safely. "Over the water" tests have taken place.

- Air Force

Aircraft: Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) For all of the last decade the Navy has had a need for a MPA. Since the retirement of the Avro Shackleton around 1990, the Navy has had to rely on an unsatisfactory MPA conversion of the C47 Dakota and more recently on standard, sensorless, C130BZs impressed in the role. The reason for this is a continued reluctance on the part of the SAAF to take the requirement seriously. The Navy has had similar problems securing maritime helicopters for its patrol frigates. Fate may yet take a hand...

Aircraft: Aerial Tankers/Electronic Warfare (ATEW) platforms: The SAAF's fleet of five Boeing 707 tanker/EW aircraft has now been reduced to a single, smoky survivor. Airbus is keen to press three to four A310/320 tankers onto the country to fill the gap, especially when considering the short range of the Gripen - the otherwise excellent fighter's Achilles heel.

Aircraft: Cargo Transports: Not a real requirement yet, Airbus Military is keen for South Africa to have about eight Airbus A400Ms. All are to have plumbing for refuelling and wiring for MPA use. (A MPA pallet would be required to make it all work.) However, the number, eight, will simply replace the dozen C130BZs currently (mostly) in service after an expensive, but arguably flawed, upgrade - although the mistakes of the C47 turboprop upgrade seems to have been avoided. (That was a job so badly done that the joke was that pilots were issued rain coats and black cats for luck even on sunny days!) Perhaps a more sensible way could be combining the MPA, ATEW and cargo requirements and buying, say, 16 A400Ms, eight dedicated to transport, four normally used for ATEW and four as MPA.

Aircraft: Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV): UAV is in the process of will revolutionising military aviation. South Africa has long operated the Seeker in limited numbers for surveillance and ELINT/SIGINT. Denel is now prototyping the much larger Bateleur (snake eagle) MALE (medium altitude, long endurance) 750km radius, 18-24 hour endurance UAV in the hope of attracting orders for MPA, EW and general surveillance duties.

Ordnance: Hawk/Gripen: Even fighter aircraft are only as good as the ordnance they carry. A whole series of current and future weapons are being designed or integrated into the Hawk and Gripen fighter ranges. In the air-to-air stakes, the V4 beyond visual range air-to-air missile and V3C short-range air-to-air missiles are already in service. Denel still dreams of funds to complete the A-Darter 5th generation imaging infra-red missile to replace the V3-series. In the air-ground stakes, there is the Paveway-type laser guided bomb and the bulky Raptor II rocket/glidebomb. Starting trials next year is the Umbani (lightning) modular glide bomb kit, Denel's answer to JDAM and JSOW all-in-one. Similar to JDAM, the system will fit the SAAF's pre-fragmented (ball bearing-enhanced) Mk82 and Mk83 series bombs. A booster and winglets turn it into a precision guided missile. Watch this space for a cruise missile version, similar to the cancelled MUPSOW (multi-purpose s tand-off weapon) technology demonstrator of two years ago.

- Navy

Aircraft: UAVs: The Navy is keeping a keen eye on the development of vertical-take-off UAVs and hopes to deploy some aboard its vessels when the technology matures. Some senior Navy officials are also suitably impressed by the Bateleur and are not averse to the idea of operating some in the MPA role should the SAAF continue to make haste slowly.

Ships: Assault Ships: As previously reported, the Navy is seeking to acquire two assault/support ships of some as-yet unspecified design to replace its replenishment/combat support vessels and gain an amphibious capability. It is speculated the ships will be similar to the British Ocean and Dutch Rotterdam vessels that can lift about a battalion group of troops and equipment (or an equivalent volume of supplies on logistics or humanitarian missions) and operate a squadron of helicopters, such as Rooivalk combat support helicopters and Oryx medium transports.

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