Warning that country could be left without air defence options

Cape Town ­ SA’s R10bn fleet of Gripen jet fighters may soon be mothballed unless funds can be found to keep them flying, warns the Department of Defence’s annual report.

The move could leave the country without an air defence capability and raises more uncomfortable questions about the legacy of the multibillion-rand arms deal.

The mothballing could also compromise SA’s defence commitments to the United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU).

Local defence expert and correspondent for Jane’s Defence Weekly, Helmoed Heitman, said the decision would leave SA “vulnerable” should there be an incident. It would leave the air force unable to enforce a no-fly zone, as has been mooted for Sudan’s Darfur region.

A chapter in the Department of Defence’s report warns that because of persistent underfunding, both combat and helicopter systems “hang in the balance” and will require serious intervention to avoid a loss of capability.

Gripen jet fighters, Hawk advanced trainers and Agusta helicopters formed a large portion of the strategic defence package or arms deal concluded in 1999.

The chief of the air force, Gen Carlo Gagiano, has frequently warned that the flying hours of the new acquisitions are having to be curtailed as a result of underfunding, but the warning in the annual report is the strongest indication yet that the aircraft could be mothballed indefinitely.

“The Hawk and the Gripen systems were initially protected from the impact of low funding levels by system warranties being in effect, but these will cease during the next two years.

“Combined with the recent funding cuts for the medium-term expenditure framework period, the air force will only be able to sustain the Hawk system,” the annual report says.

“This will result in a very limited intake of Gripen pilots, while the Hawk system will have to retain current aircrew numbers, thereby absorbing a very limited number of recruits,” it says.

“Without adequate funding levels being provided, the air force will not be able to meet its mandate in terms of defence or its support of government initiatives in the medium and longer term. The unwanted reality is portions of aircraft fleets may have to be placed in long-term storage, and certain capabilities, units or bases may have to be closed down.”

Democratic Alliance defence spokesman David Maynier said the air force is in trouble, being unable to operate the Hawks or the Gripens properly.

“There is little prospect of increasing the defence budget, and unless resources can be reallocated within the defence budget, some hard decisions are going to have to be made. The situation, it seems, is so bad that some aircraft, most importantly the Gripen Advanced Light Fighter Aircraft, may have to be mothballed.

“The secretary of defence, Mpumi Mpofu, is going to have to spell out what options are available when she next appears before the portfolio committee on defence. The fact is that at current funding levels, we face the grim prospect of having an air force ‘without wings’.”

Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu will brief Parliament’s defence committee this morning on the annual report and she is certain to be asked about this issue. Attempts to get comment yesterday were unsuccessful.

Mr Heitman said, however, it was his understanding that the air force will try to keep at least some of the Gripen fighters airborne, rotating them in and out of long- term storage.

“What this means is that SA is left with no combat capability and could be vulnerable should there be an unexpected incident. SA will be unable to enforce a no-fly zone should it be requested to do so by either the UN or the AU.”

The government ordered 28 Saab Gripen C & D advanced light fighter aircraft in 1999 as part of the arms deal.

The Gripen were acquired as a package with 24 BAE Systems Hawk Mk120 lead-in fighter trainers. At the time the Treasury put the figure for the two types combined at R15,772bn.

During the World Cup the Gripens conducted about half the 51 aircraft intercepts performed . The air force deployed 11 of the 15 available Gripen during the tournament and 12 of 24 BAE Systems Hawk lead-in fighter trainers.

Concerns raised in an auditor- general’s report earlier this year included that the air force could afford to keep the aircraft in the air for only half the necessary time, and that there were insufficient funds for a permanent maintenance contractor.

The Gripen mothballing threat follows reports that the air force’s Rooivalk attack helicopters have apparently also been grounded, and that the 12 Rooivalks in 16 Squadron had been put in storage outside Bloemfontein and were not flying.

hartleyw@bdfm.co.za

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With acknowledgements to Wyndham Hartley and Business Day.
 

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This country has long since had the financial wherewithal to fund a far bigger defence force and even a high-intensity border war for about fifteen years (1974 to 1989).

But don't say that bankrupted the country because it didn't. The Old Nats stole about R350 billion (1990 Rands) over a period of 20 to 30 years and even that didn't bankrupt the country.

The current problem is that even that the tax base is now wider, the New Bumiputerians are stealing about R200 billion (2010 Rands) per year out of the economy.

Before there was money for roads, railway lines, harbours, hospitals, schools, defence, policing, border patrol and control, braaivleis, sunny skies and Chevrolet, een liter spook en twee liter diesel.

Now there's money for diddly squat except the best designer suits, ties and the best Italian sports cars - all financed through BEE, ZEE and Ayenceeeeeee.

And of course the SA Navy can fire off a couple of Exocet MM40 Block I anti-ship missiles every time it does an exercise.

This in itself is not bad except officially it only purchased Exocet MM40 Block II anti-ship missiles.

The reality seems that it purchased just one missile (Block II) and got the other 16 missiles (Block I) on some kind of lease scheme, so every time one is fired it needs to be replaced by purchasing a new one (Block II) out of the SA Navy's running budget.

The situation with the Hawks and especially the Gripens is far more dire.

A Hawk is not an operational aircraft, it is merely a training aircraft (or should be). So the intercept it managed during SWC 2010 are effectively toothless ones.

But the Gripen was purchased without any weapons.

This is against long standing acquisition policy.

It is irregular.

The reason that it was done was pure opportunism.

The Impalas were getting on in age and British Aerospace persuaded Joe Modise, Ronnie Kasrils, Alec Erwin and Chippy Shaik to purchase not old Gripens, but also Hawks. They said that only the Hawk could be used to train pilots for the Gripens.

They were talking simple dog shit..

The simple truth is that we did not need the Gripens because we had and still have the Cheetah C 3rd generation fighter jets. They are good for service until 2015 and could be made good for service until 2020 or even 2025. They have the weapons systems and the radar. There was even a new air combat wing (ACW) coming up in the upgrade plans.

And we didn't need a new jet fighter trainer because the SAAF after due analysis had already decided to go for a two-tier training system (i.e. Pilatus turboprop to dual seat jet trainer before single seat jet fighter, with plenty of modern computer-based simulation thrown in) rather than a a three-tier training system (i.e. Pilatus turboprop to dual seat jet trainer to dual seat fighter jet before single seat fighter jet).

But Modise reversed the SAAF training decision, clearly to support the BAe's joint Hawk/Gripen proposal.

This was probably just after lunch on a Friday just before he, accompanied by Ronnie Kasrils and Chippy Shaik, took yet another flip in a SAAF Mecurius executive jet to Farnborough, the home of BAe (and the RAF) to return on Sunday afternoon with full gym bags courtesy of the most benevolent of hosts, Sir Richard Evans and Alan Macdonald.

And we wonder why.

Or is ours not to reason why?