The SAAF Forum

Hi all,

I'm doing research on the Border War and somewhat beyond, out of personal interest and also with a view to helping the community sourcing of data for Command: Modern Operations, a video game. I'm going to lay out what I have on SAAF defensive aids per aircraft type, much of which has been gleaned from this forum, and I'd like you guys to give me a steer on where I'm wrong and on what information I'm missing. I'll update this post as we go and hopefully at the end of it we'll have a single-source complete picture of South African DAS.

Buccaneer S.50
- ELT-555 'Bikini' jammer from 1982, only six available
- Countermeasure dispenser, 1980, Project Mason, behind bomb bay
- Stock Sky Guardian RWR, fitted 1975-76

Mirage III
- Stock BZ RWR
- Some CZ and all RZ/R2Z received CRWS RWR, 1987-88ish
- Some CZ and RZ received countermeasure dispensers in a box under the tail, 1987-88ish. Unknown quantities and mixes of countermeasures.

Mirage F.1
- Stock BZ RWR
- AZ received ELT-555, 1982
- All aircraft received RIMS RWR (RWS for AZ, CRWS for CZ), 1987
- All aircraft received RIMS MAWS, 1987, rear-facing only
- RIMS MAWS may include an IRCM emitter? Possibly even a DIRCM?
- All aircraft received RIMS-associated countermeasure dispensers under the wings, 1986, unknown quantity and mix
- Underwing countermeasure dispensers were hugely unpopular, all aircraft received ventral strake countermeasure dispensers, 1987, unknown quantity but 2:1 flare to chaff?

Cheetah
- RWS-200 RWR, derived from RWS.
- CFD-200 countermeasure dispenser, 92 cartridges, 1:1 flare to chaff?
- SPJ-200 internal radar jammer, built by Avitronics.
- All Cheetahs (E/D/C) fitted with the same suite?

Impala
- Nothing early on
- Impala 2 received ELT-555, 1982, was this ever used? With only a handful of jammers and no way of getting more, I can't see them being fitted to the cheap, replaceable Impalas.
- Impala 2 received underwing countermeasures dispensers, 1991, unknown quantity and mix. Are these the old Mirage F.1 underwing dispensers?
- Impala 2 received RIMS CRWS, unknown date?

Canberra
- Stock Sky Guardian RWR
- One aircraft (453) fitted with unique 'biscuit tin' RWR sensor, unknown date
- Fleet fitted with underwing CMDS, unknown date and capacity, pre-1981
- Could be fitted with ELT-555

C-130BZ
- RIMS CRWS fitted at some point?
- Surely some countermeasures?

C-160Z
- RIMS CRWS fitted at some point?
- Surely some countermeasures?

Boeing 707
- RIMS RWS fitted at some point? On receipt in 1987?
- Surely some countermeasures?
- Valid for both ELINT and Tanker variants?
- Do we know anything about the ELINT package? COMINT? Jamming?

Puma/Oryx
- RIMS CRWS fitted 1988? On Oryx from day one?
- Large countermeasure blocks on the wheel wells. First seen 2000?
- EWSPS?
- MAWS?
- Four aircraft with ECM and four with COMINT / COMJAM from 1987. GSY-1501 from the start?

Bosbok/Kudu
- Nothing

DC-4
- Improvised IR suppression system (bit of sheet metal over the exhaust), date unknown
- Do we know anything about the ELINT/COMINT package? Jamming?

Dakota
- Improvised IR suppression system (bit of sheet metal over the exhaust), date unknown

Turbodak
- Improvised IR suppression system removed?

Alouette III
- Improvised IR suppression system (bit of sheet metal over the exhaust), date unknown

Much like the DC-4, I think the Dakota also received an improvised IR suppression system.

_________________
How come every time my ship comes in, I'm at the airport?

My vague memories of Cheetah EW systems (the EWSPS guys were rather tight with information so only generalities, and I knew most about Cheetah C, less about D and almost nothing about E.)

Cheetah C took chaff or flare "blocks" under the tail, maybe 4 blocks with each taking 4 * 6 chaff blocks or 2 blocks 6 * 8 (which would give 96 not 92).
Each flare cartridge was the same size as 2 chaff cartridges so you could carry half the number of flares that you could carry chaff, or a mix of the two. I think there were different blocks for chaff and flares.

Cheetah C had EWSPS (EW Self Protection System) which was much more capable than Cheetah D or E. It provided the radar warning receiver functions as well as Elint capability and drove chaff & flare dispensers as well as active jammers.

The Canberra had Chaff and flare dispensers fitted on the inner wing. They also carried the ELT555 and one example (455?) had a RWR often referred to as the biscuit tin.

Great info, thanks. I wonder if the EWSPS is the SPS-2000 I have info on, the term 'SPS' for a radar warning receiver is unusual to me and I would presume the Cheetah C has the greatest proportion of Israeli kit.


Have you got any images of the dispensers or intro dates for them? I can't find anything.

I'm constantly astonished by the number of aircraft that carried the ELT-555 considering how few there allegedly were.

There is an image in the late Herman Potgieter's book, "Aircraft of the South African Air Force", Image "42", you can also see the biscuit tin deployed under the cockpit. I don't have time to dig out dates at the moment but I believe that 12 SQN were the first to have chaff and flare dispensers within the SAAF.

From the book Canberra, by Michael Hammence and Winston Brent.

_________________
How come every time my ship comes in, I'm at the airport?

I have a copy of Potgieter now, it's really good. Thank you for the recommendation. I wish I was able to get hold of some of the South African specific books, Those Who Had The Power and Guardians Of The Nation seem like they'd really help me.