Air-air refueling squadron to close
Date: 24 July 2007
The following is a (very) rough extract from an Afrikaans article that appeared in Beeld:
The airforce squadron that refuels fighters, such as the Cheetah and the new Gripen, in the air will probably be closed.
This will mean that South Africa, as the only African state south of the Sahara with this capability, will not be able to perform this function after 2010.
The airforce said this week that the final decision for the possible closing of 60 Squadron at AFB Waterkloof rests with the Department of Defence.
The capability will only be regained when the airforce receives the new Airbus A400M after 2010. According to Helmoed-Römer Heitman, military commentator, the closure means that the airforce may have to curb the use of it's fighters in foreign operations.
"The airforce canot use the Gripens without airborne refuelling tankers. On top of that, one of the motivations for the purchase of the Gripen was that the Gripen would be an asset for Africa to use in foreign operations."
This will mean, according to insiders, that the Gripen will be able to fly from the Louis Trichardt airforce base to the border and maybe back. But nowhere further.
Heitman says that that A400M is not the ideal aircraft for in-flight refuelling because the top speed of the aircraft was near the minimum speed of the fighter, making refuelling very difficult.
Heitman said "it is short-sighted to disband 60 Squadron and phase out the Boeing 707".
One of the options the airforce had to take into consideration was the offer by the Brazilian airforce to undertake part of their in-flight refuelling training in South Africa.
When the Gripen was purchased, the Swedish fighter did not have an in-flight refuelling capability. The equipment had to be specially incorporated into the aircraft, as it was essential due to the long distances the aircraft would have to fly.
The first Gripens wil lbe delivered next year. According to Heitman, the Brazilian offer was 'bizarre'.
The Squadrons Boeing is also used for to transport freight for the deployment and support of South African troops deployed internationally. The United Nations reimburses the defence force for the use of the aircraft and the squadron thus generates its own operating funds.
According to insiders, the aircraft is still cheaper to operate than hiring charter aircraft such as the Ilyushin 76 for the supporting flights.
