NEWS & EVENTS - GENERAL
18 July 2005
Three airforce members appear in court after drownings in Burundi
General
Three members of the airforce, including a helicopter commander and a flight engineer, appeared on charges of culpable homicide yesterday in a military court in Thaba Tshwane.Their appearance is a result of an incident in 2002 when four Army soldiers...
13 July 2005
Soldiers in dock for drownings
General
The Air Force is going to charge four of its members, including members of a helicopter crew, with culpable homicide after four South African peacekeeping soldiers drowned in a 2002 river exercise in Burundi. This step follows after the results of th...
5 July 2005
SAAF student pilot ejects as Impala hits vultures
General
Graeme HoskenA South African Air Force student pilot narrowly escaped death moments after taking off from Air Force Base Hoedspruit in Limpopo yesterday when his plane hit two vultures.Pretoria NewsTo summarize the article: Captain Colin Sparke took ...
4 July 2005
Air Force fighter jet crashes
General
An SA Air Force (SAAF) Impala Mk2 fighter trainer has crashed, with the pilot ejecting safely, a spokesperson said on Monday. The SAAF's captain Ronald Maseko's said the aircraft was from 85 Combat Flying School, based at Hoedspruit. It crash...
2 July 2005
Lekota: SA was offered F16 jets in 1990s but sale was not possible
General
Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota has confirmed that the US offered South Africa second-hand F16 fighter jets in the late 1990s but the that sale would not have been 'technically possible' at the time.In a written reply toa parliamentary questi...
1 July 2005
First SA Gripens only months away
General
The first Saab Gripen advanced multirole fighter for the South African Air Force (SAAF) should be completed and rolled out in the last quarter of this year and is scheduled to make its first flight this November."This aircraft is in final assemb...
30 June 2005
A-400M contract signed
General
It was reported on SAAF News that the contract to acquire the A-400M's was awarded to Airbus by Armscor on 30 June 2005. The contract value is R7 438 200 001.88.The initial order is for 8 aircrat, with another six on option....
23 June 2005
Airforce must keep pilot from India for another term
General
The following is a rough translation from an Afrikaans article that appeared in Beeld:The Minister of Defence, Mr Mosiuoa Lekota, and the airforce must, according to a High Court ruling, renew an Indian fighter pilots contract after the airforce alre...
22 June 2005
Grounded C130s get their wings
General
The SA Air Force is to return to flying status four C130s grounded earlier this year for suspected wing-spar cracks, the military said on Wednesday. Bu, an industry source said the SAAF was returning the Hercules transports to the air on their own re...
25 May 2005
Identity of crashed Astra reveiled
General
According to photos published on the offical SANDF website, the Astra that crashed on 9 April 2005 was 2016....
24 May 2005
New airbus 'for peacekeeping'
General
Deflecting criticism of the government's new multimillion-rand aircraft acquisition as "myopic", Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said the planes were vital for peacekeeping operations. "This criticism fails to take account of the f...
1 May 2005
Going To The Tanker
General
Gripen is cleared for air-to-air refuelling after a successful joint Swedish and South African test program. Air-to-Air refuelling (AAR) is one of the key capabilities available to Gripen export customers and for Sweden's own JAS 39C/D aircraft. ...
28 April 2005
SA joins Airbus' A400M plan
General
Government signed a contract with Airbus Military on Thursday, under which South Africa will become a partner in the A400M airlifter programme and acquire at least eight of the transport aircraft. This confirmed the confidence placed in the programme...
25 April 2005
SA moves closer to Airbus deal
General
South Africa is to move closer to purchasing between eight and 14 A400M military transport aircraft this week by signing a further agreement with Airbus to that effect. SA Air Force chief Lieutenant-General Carlo Gagiano has confirmed the agreement w...
25 April 2005
New chief may battle to get air force off the ground
General
There have been delays in key programmes, including that of the Rooivalk attack helicopter WHEN an early 1940s South African Air Force Dakota aeroplane taxied along the runway preparing for a takeoff on Friday night from Makhado Air Force Base in Nor...
23 April 2005
More on Hercules grounding
General
From the SAAF News group:'All C-130B aircraft users world wide were advised by Lockheed-Martin that the potential existed that cracks could have developed in the outer wing area. These potential cracks would only be visable if the area concerned ...
23 April 2005
How underfunding is hurting SA Air Force
General
Media reports that underfunding of the South African Air Force (SAAF) has caused the service to run down are correct, SAAF chief Lieutenant General Carlo Gagiano said on Friday."In view of recent media reports and in line with SAAF Vision 2012, ...
13 April 2005
A-Darter preferred option for Gripen
General
The South African Air Force (SAAF) will arm its future Gripen multirole fighters with the Denel Aerospace A-Darter (Agile Darter) close-range air-to-air missile if its development can be completed in time, according to SAAF chief Lieutenant General C...
11 April 2005
Dead trainee pilot failed exams
General
Who will accept responsibility for the death of a trainee Air Force pilot at the weekend? This is what aviation experts asked on Sunday when it emerged that the trainee pilot who crashed his Astra training aircraft this weekend failed his exams on mo...
11 April 2005
Pilot's 'incompetence' probed
General
Allegations about the competence of a trainee pilot who died in an aircraft crash at the weekend were part of the inquiry into the matter, the SA Air Force said on Monday. SAAF spokesperson Captain Ronald Maseko was reacting to the Beeld newspaper as...
9 April 2005
Trainee pilot dies in crash
General
Trainee air force pilot Oupa Jeanclaude Ramaiti, 24, died when his aircraft crashed near Lichtenburg in North West on Saturday afternoon, the SA National Defence Force said on Sunday.SANDF spokesperson captain Ronald Maseko said Ramaiti was flying so...
5 April 2005
SAAF Chief appears to pour cold water on military Airbus plans
General
New SA Air Force chief Lieutenant-General Carlo Gagiano has seemingly poured cold water on South Africa's plans to purchase Airbus Military's A400M. Meeting the press during a visit by US Third Air Force commander Major-General Michael Gould,...
5 April 2005
Arms deal - Those Hawk jets cost us double
General
"In a new bombshell over South Africa's multibillion-rand arms deal it has emerged that the government paid more than double for its Hawk/Gripen fighter-trainer jets - they cost R10 billion - than the price of Italian jets preferred by defen...
5 April 2005
Submission to the Defence Portfolio Committee on the maintenance of State facilities utilised by the Department of Defence
General
The following are extracts from documents handed in at the above meeting held on 5 April 2005:Appendix A: Funds required in order to address the Deteriorating Condition of State Facilities Utilized by the DODRUNWAYSThe Department of Defence (SAAF) cu...
31 March 2005
Cracks keep Hercules on ground
General
The largest part of the airforce's Hercules C-130 fleet - its primary air-transport component - will probably be out of action for the next six to eight months at least.Only then will a specialist from Lockheed Martin, the manufacturers of the ai...
Three airforce members appear in court after drownings in Burundi
General
Three members of the airforce, including a helicopter commander and a flight engineer, appeared on charges of culpable homicide yesterday in a military court in Thaba Tshwane.Their appearance is a result of an incident in 2002 when four Army soldiers...
Soldiers in dock for drownings
General
The Air Force is going to charge four of its members, including members of a helicopter crew, with culpable homicide after four South African peacekeeping soldiers drowned in a 2002 river exercise in Burundi. This step follows after the results of th...
SAAF student pilot ejects as Impala hits vultures
General
Graeme HoskenA South African Air Force student pilot narrowly escaped death moments after taking off from Air Force Base Hoedspruit in Limpopo yesterday when his plane hit two vultures.Pretoria NewsTo summarize the article: Captain Colin Sparke took ...
Air Force fighter jet crashes
General
An SA Air Force (SAAF) Impala Mk2 fighter trainer has crashed, with the pilot ejecting safely, a spokesperson said on Monday. The SAAF's captain Ronald Maseko's said the aircraft was from 85 Combat Flying School, based at Hoedspruit. It crash...
Lekota: SA was offered F16 jets in 1990s but sale was not possible
General
Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota has confirmed that the US offered South Africa second-hand F16 fighter jets in the late 1990s but the that sale would not have been 'technically possible' at the time.In a written reply toa parliamentary questi...
First SA Gripens only months away
General
The first Saab Gripen advanced multirole fighter for the South African Air Force (SAAF) should be completed and rolled out in the last quarter of this year and is scheduled to make its first flight this November."This aircraft is in final assemb...
A-400M contract signed
General
It was reported on SAAF News that the contract to acquire the A-400M's was awarded to Airbus by Armscor on 30 June 2005. The contract value is R7 438 200 001.88.The initial order is for 8 aircrat, with another six on option....
Airforce must keep pilot from India for another term
General
The following is a rough translation from an Afrikaans article that appeared in Beeld:The Minister of Defence, Mr Mosiuoa Lekota, and the airforce must, according to a High Court ruling, renew an Indian fighter pilots contract after the airforce alre...
Grounded C130s get their wings
General
The SA Air Force is to return to flying status four C130s grounded earlier this year for suspected wing-spar cracks, the military said on Wednesday. Bu, an industry source said the SAAF was returning the Hercules transports to the air on their own re...
Identity of crashed Astra reveiled
General
According to photos published on the offical SANDF website, the Astra that crashed on 9 April 2005 was 2016....
New airbus 'for peacekeeping'
General
Deflecting criticism of the government's new multimillion-rand aircraft acquisition as "myopic", Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said the planes were vital for peacekeeping operations. "This criticism fails to take account of the f...
Going To The Tanker
General
Gripen is cleared for air-to-air refuelling after a successful joint Swedish and South African test program. Air-to-Air refuelling (AAR) is one of the key capabilities available to Gripen export customers and for Sweden's own JAS 39C/D aircraft. ...
SA joins Airbus' A400M plan
General
Government signed a contract with Airbus Military on Thursday, under which South Africa will become a partner in the A400M airlifter programme and acquire at least eight of the transport aircraft. This confirmed the confidence placed in the programme...
SA moves closer to Airbus deal
General
South Africa is to move closer to purchasing between eight and 14 A400M military transport aircraft this week by signing a further agreement with Airbus to that effect. SA Air Force chief Lieutenant-General Carlo Gagiano has confirmed the agreement w...
New chief may battle to get air force off the ground
General
There have been delays in key programmes, including that of the Rooivalk attack helicopter WHEN an early 1940s South African Air Force Dakota aeroplane taxied along the runway preparing for a takeoff on Friday night from Makhado Air Force Base in Nor...
More on Hercules grounding
General
From the SAAF News group:'All C-130B aircraft users world wide were advised by Lockheed-Martin that the potential existed that cracks could have developed in the outer wing area. These potential cracks would only be visable if the area concerned ...
How underfunding is hurting SA Air Force
General
Media reports that underfunding of the South African Air Force (SAAF) has caused the service to run down are correct, SAAF chief Lieutenant General Carlo Gagiano said on Friday."In view of recent media reports and in line with SAAF Vision 2012, ...
A-Darter preferred option for Gripen
General
The South African Air Force (SAAF) will arm its future Gripen multirole fighters with the Denel Aerospace A-Darter (Agile Darter) close-range air-to-air missile if its development can be completed in time, according to SAAF chief Lieutenant General C...
Dead trainee pilot failed exams
General
Who will accept responsibility for the death of a trainee Air Force pilot at the weekend? This is what aviation experts asked on Sunday when it emerged that the trainee pilot who crashed his Astra training aircraft this weekend failed his exams on mo...
Pilot's 'incompetence' probed
General
Allegations about the competence of a trainee pilot who died in an aircraft crash at the weekend were part of the inquiry into the matter, the SA Air Force said on Monday. SAAF spokesperson Captain Ronald Maseko was reacting to the Beeld newspaper as...
Trainee pilot dies in crash
General
Trainee air force pilot Oupa Jeanclaude Ramaiti, 24, died when his aircraft crashed near Lichtenburg in North West on Saturday afternoon, the SA National Defence Force said on Sunday.SANDF spokesperson captain Ronald Maseko said Ramaiti was flying so...
SAAF Chief appears to pour cold water on military Airbus plans
General
New SA Air Force chief Lieutenant-General Carlo Gagiano has seemingly poured cold water on South Africa's plans to purchase Airbus Military's A400M. Meeting the press during a visit by US Third Air Force commander Major-General Michael Gould,...
Arms deal - Those Hawk jets cost us double
General
"In a new bombshell over South Africa's multibillion-rand arms deal it has emerged that the government paid more than double for its Hawk/Gripen fighter-trainer jets - they cost R10 billion - than the price of Italian jets preferred by defen...
Submission to the Defence Portfolio Committee on the maintenance of State facilities utilised by the Department of Defence
General
The following are extracts from documents handed in at the above meeting held on 5 April 2005:Appendix A: Funds required in order to address the Deteriorating Condition of State Facilities Utilized by the DODRUNWAYSThe Department of Defence (SAAF) cu...
Cracks keep Hercules on ground
General
The largest part of the airforce's Hercules C-130 fleet - its primary air-transport component - will probably be out of action for the next six to eight months at least.Only then will a specialist from Lockheed Martin, the manufacturers of the ai...
