NEWS & EVENTS - GENERAL
9 April 2003
Air Force losing skilled staff
General
By Wendell RoelfAggressive head-hunting by civilian airlines was contributing to the dearth of much needed skills and expertise in the South African Air Force, MPs attending a portfolio committee on defence heard on Tuesday. "In the last tw...
9 April 2003
Air Force clips its wings
General
By Donwald Pressly The South African Air Force is to reduce its staff by about 1,500 personnel to reach a figure of 10,000 in three years time, Lt Gen Roelf Beukes said in a briefing to Members of Parliament on Tuesday. Beukes, the Air Force chief, t...
7 April 2003
New SANDF Medals
General
It is believed that the SANDF will be reveiling it's new medal, decoration and order series on 27 April 2003. ...
7 April 2003
New SAAF National Marking
General
At the same time as presenting it's new medal series, the SAAF will also be unveiling the new national markings to be applied to all aircraft.The British military aviation magazine, Air Forces Monthly, has stated that the new emblem is thought to...
1 April 2003
Cheetah C pilot ejects safely
General
The pilot of a Cheetah C, Maj Andrea Serra, successfully ejected from his aircraft near AFB Louis Trichardt today when the aircraft developed problems during an air-to-air training sortie. It was unclear whether the problems were of a technical natur...
1 April 2003
New OC of 111 Squadron
General
It has been learnt that Lt-Col Mossom took over command of 111 Sqn on the 1st April 2003 . 111 Squadron is an Air Force Reserve Squadron based at AFB Waterkloof. ...
21 March 2003
Stellenbosch airshow
General
The airshows organised by the Stellenbosch Flying Club have a long tradition of quality and interesting aircraft. The fact that the airfield has got to be one of the most picturesque on the SA airshow circuit doesn't hurt either! Although billed ...
7 March 2003
SAAF lost 58 pilots last year
General
A total of 58 pilots, with several years experience each, left the South African Air Force last year, Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said today. Replying to a question in the National Assembly from Adriaan Blaas (NNP), he said 67 pilots left the air...
3 March 2003
New video tool to fight crime
General
By Rodney Wiedemann A video analysis tool, which can assist in intelligence-gathering and crime-prevention operations, has been donated to the Joint Air Reconnaissance and Intelligence Centre (JARIC) at Waterkloof Air Force Base. The software, develo...
26 February 2003
New Maritime Helicopters Approved
General
Excerpt from Finance Minister Trevor Manuel's 2003 budget speech today:'Additional allocations to the South African National Defence Force provide for the acquisitions of four maritime helicopters and R200 million a year to contribute to the ...
17 February 2003
Denel Aviation Has Started Final Assembly Of The SAAF A109 Light Utility Helicopter
General
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica and GKN company, announced that the final assembly of the first Agusta A109 Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) airframe for the South African Air Force, has started in South Africa at the Denel Aviation facilities. Denel Av...
13 February 2003
Russia honours SA helicopter pilots
General
The Russian government honoured nine South Africans in Cape Town today for their part in last year's rescue of scientists and crewman from a ship which was trapped in the Antarctic pack ice. The five helicopter pilots, three flight engineers and ...
31 January 2003
Why Mbeki's 'eagle' had to land
General
Erika Gibson Pretoria - President Thabo Mbeki slept and was not inconvenienced when his new intercontinental jet developed technical problems during its inaugural flight and had to turn back. Problems cropped up mainly because the plane, the Inkwazi ...
27 January 2003
Fish Eagle's wings clipped on first flight
General
Pretoria - President Thabo Mbeki arrived several hours late for the Ivory Coast peace talks in Paris, France, after his brand new, multimillion rand Boeing Business Jet experienced technical problems.His long awaited first trip aboard the Inkwazi (fi...
24 January 2003
Mbeki spreads wings - in style
General
Erika GibsonPretoria - President Thabo Mbeki spreads his wings for the first time whejn he takes to the skies in his new Boeing business jetliner, Inkwazi, headed for Paris.Although the aircraft was delivered more than two months ago, the air force f...
12 December 2002
Rooivalk: not just any old helicopter
General
It can co-ordinate various functions, has adapted to challengesWhen government announced the commissioning of the Rooivalk into service, mainly in support of peacekeeping operations, some reports welcomed Rooivalk's future contribution to SA'...
6 December 2002
Crewmember falls to his death
General
An Air Force officer died after apparently falling from a landed plane and breaking his neck. Sergeant-major Jan Jerling (36) died shortly after the accident on the runway in Alldays, Limpopo. A post mortem will be done to determine the cause of his ...
5 December 2002
Cabinet approves Rooivalk
General
Cabinet has approved a request by the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) to commission the locally manufactured Rooivalk combat support helicopter, government spokesperson Joel Netshitenzhe said on Thursday. "The helicopter programme represents s...
21 November 2002
South African battlespace C2 framework in the making
General
An integrated command and control (C2) systems masterplan, developed under the auspices of Project Erabus, has been submitted for approval by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). Intended as a blueprint for all three services, a number o...
18 November 2002
Blast at range kills SAAF member
General
A Sergeant-Major from Air Force Base Louis Trichardt was killed today when a device exploded at at the SAAF's Roodewal bombing range in the Limpopo province.SABC news...
2 November 2002
85 CFS Weapons Camp - 2002
General
No sooner had 2 Squadron with their Cheetah aircraft departed AFB Langebaanweg when 85 CFS arrived for their annual air-air gunnery camp.The squadron consists of the single-seat Impala MkII, armed with two 30mm Defa 553 cannon, and the two-seat Impal...
1 November 2002
2 Squadron Weapons Camp - 2002
General
2 Squadron, the SAAF's premier fighter squadron and known as the Flying Cheetahs, held it's annual weapons camp at AFB Langebaanweg during the first two weeks of November.As a great gesture to the local West Coast community (and Cape Tow...
28 October 2002
Black pilot makes history - again
General
South Africa's most senior fully qualified black fighter pilot, Captain Musa "Midnight" Mbhokota, has made history -- again. In a joint exercise in Sweden with the chief of the South African Air Force, Lieutenant General Roelf Beukes, h...
22 October 2002
New BBJ arrives!
General
Inkwanzi, or fish eagle, President Thabo Mbeki's controversial jet, landed at Waterkloof airbase minutes shortly after 00:00 on Tuesday, air force spokesperson Francois Coetzee said.The intercontinental Boeing Business Jet was flown on a non-stop...
20 October 2002
R535m jet for President will be landing soon
General
SOUTH Africas R535-million presidential jet could arrive in the country tonight, according to Sam Mkhwanazi, spokesman for Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota. According to Armscors annual report the Boeing Business Jet, which can reach destinations in A...
Air Force losing skilled staff
General
By Wendell RoelfAggressive head-hunting by civilian airlines was contributing to the dearth of much needed skills and expertise in the South African Air Force, MPs attending a portfolio committee on defence heard on Tuesday. "In the last tw...
Air Force clips its wings
General
By Donwald Pressly The South African Air Force is to reduce its staff by about 1,500 personnel to reach a figure of 10,000 in three years time, Lt Gen Roelf Beukes said in a briefing to Members of Parliament on Tuesday. Beukes, the Air Force chief, t...
New SANDF Medals
General
It is believed that the SANDF will be reveiling it's new medal, decoration and order series on 27 April 2003. ...
New SAAF National Marking
General
At the same time as presenting it's new medal series, the SAAF will also be unveiling the new national markings to be applied to all aircraft.The British military aviation magazine, Air Forces Monthly, has stated that the new emblem is thought to...
Cheetah C pilot ejects safely
General
The pilot of a Cheetah C, Maj Andrea Serra, successfully ejected from his aircraft near AFB Louis Trichardt today when the aircraft developed problems during an air-to-air training sortie. It was unclear whether the problems were of a technical natur...
New OC of 111 Squadron
General
It has been learnt that Lt-Col Mossom took over command of 111 Sqn on the 1st April 2003 . 111 Squadron is an Air Force Reserve Squadron based at AFB Waterkloof. ...
Stellenbosch airshow
General
The airshows organised by the Stellenbosch Flying Club have a long tradition of quality and interesting aircraft. The fact that the airfield has got to be one of the most picturesque on the SA airshow circuit doesn't hurt either! Although billed ...
SAAF lost 58 pilots last year
General
A total of 58 pilots, with several years experience each, left the South African Air Force last year, Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said today. Replying to a question in the National Assembly from Adriaan Blaas (NNP), he said 67 pilots left the air...
New video tool to fight crime
General
By Rodney Wiedemann A video analysis tool, which can assist in intelligence-gathering and crime-prevention operations, has been donated to the Joint Air Reconnaissance and Intelligence Centre (JARIC) at Waterkloof Air Force Base. The software, develo...
New Maritime Helicopters Approved
General
Excerpt from Finance Minister Trevor Manuel's 2003 budget speech today:'Additional allocations to the South African National Defence Force provide for the acquisitions of four maritime helicopters and R200 million a year to contribute to the ...
Denel Aviation Has Started Final Assembly Of The SAAF A109 Light Utility Helicopter
General
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica and GKN company, announced that the final assembly of the first Agusta A109 Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) airframe for the South African Air Force, has started in South Africa at the Denel Aviation facilities. Denel Av...
Russia honours SA helicopter pilots
General
The Russian government honoured nine South Africans in Cape Town today for their part in last year's rescue of scientists and crewman from a ship which was trapped in the Antarctic pack ice. The five helicopter pilots, three flight engineers and ...
Why Mbeki's 'eagle' had to land
General
Erika Gibson Pretoria - President Thabo Mbeki slept and was not inconvenienced when his new intercontinental jet developed technical problems during its inaugural flight and had to turn back. Problems cropped up mainly because the plane, the Inkwazi ...
Fish Eagle's wings clipped on first flight
General
Pretoria - President Thabo Mbeki arrived several hours late for the Ivory Coast peace talks in Paris, France, after his brand new, multimillion rand Boeing Business Jet experienced technical problems.His long awaited first trip aboard the Inkwazi (fi...
Mbeki spreads wings - in style
General
Erika GibsonPretoria - President Thabo Mbeki spreads his wings for the first time whejn he takes to the skies in his new Boeing business jetliner, Inkwazi, headed for Paris.Although the aircraft was delivered more than two months ago, the air force f...
Rooivalk: not just any old helicopter
General
It can co-ordinate various functions, has adapted to challengesWhen government announced the commissioning of the Rooivalk into service, mainly in support of peacekeeping operations, some reports welcomed Rooivalk's future contribution to SA'...
Crewmember falls to his death
General
An Air Force officer died after apparently falling from a landed plane and breaking his neck. Sergeant-major Jan Jerling (36) died shortly after the accident on the runway in Alldays, Limpopo. A post mortem will be done to determine the cause of his ...
Cabinet approves Rooivalk
General
Cabinet has approved a request by the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) to commission the locally manufactured Rooivalk combat support helicopter, government spokesperson Joel Netshitenzhe said on Thursday. "The helicopter programme represents s...
South African battlespace C2 framework in the making
General
An integrated command and control (C2) systems masterplan, developed under the auspices of Project Erabus, has been submitted for approval by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). Intended as a blueprint for all three services, a number o...
Blast at range kills SAAF member
General
A Sergeant-Major from Air Force Base Louis Trichardt was killed today when a device exploded at at the SAAF's Roodewal bombing range in the Limpopo province.SABC news...
85 CFS Weapons Camp - 2002
General
No sooner had 2 Squadron with their Cheetah aircraft departed AFB Langebaanweg when 85 CFS arrived for their annual air-air gunnery camp.The squadron consists of the single-seat Impala MkII, armed with two 30mm Defa 553 cannon, and the two-seat Impal...
2 Squadron Weapons Camp - 2002
General
2 Squadron, the SAAF's premier fighter squadron and known as the Flying Cheetahs, held it's annual weapons camp at AFB Langebaanweg during the first two weeks of November.As a great gesture to the local West Coast community (and Cape Tow...
Black pilot makes history - again
General
South Africa's most senior fully qualified black fighter pilot, Captain Musa "Midnight" Mbhokota, has made history -- again. In a joint exercise in Sweden with the chief of the South African Air Force, Lieutenant General Roelf Beukes, h...
New BBJ arrives!
General
Inkwanzi, or fish eagle, President Thabo Mbeki's controversial jet, landed at Waterkloof airbase minutes shortly after 00:00 on Tuesday, air force spokesperson Francois Coetzee said.The intercontinental Boeing Business Jet was flown on a non-stop...
R535m jet for President will be landing soon
General
SOUTH Africas R535-million presidential jet could arrive in the country tonight, according to Sam Mkhwanazi, spokesman for Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota. According to Armscors annual report the Boeing Business Jet, which can reach destinations in A...
