SAAF's Piecemeal Plan to Buy Transport Planes
Date: 12 August 2010
THE South African Air Force (SAAF) would take a fresh approach to the acquisition of new transport aircraft, moving away from large, single orders for heavy transport planes, Gen Carlo Gagiano, chief of the SAAF, said late last week.
There has been much speculation about what would replace the SAAF's ageing C-130 fleet after Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu cancelled an order for eight Airbus A400M aircraft last year. Gen Gagiano's comments are the first indication of the direction the SAAF and Department of Defence will take to fill the void.
"We are taking a three-tier approach to acquiring new aircraft, buying fewer aircraft in each of the heavy, medium and light transport categories," Gen Gagiano said.
The SAAF would also not place large, single orders for aircraft but acquire them when and where it could afford them, he said.
A final acquisition plan is still being reviewed by the military structures before being handed to Ms Sisulu for approval.
Gen Gagiano would not be drawn on what aircraft the SAAF was likely to acquire, saying only that air force requirements would have to be weighed against budgetary constraints and availability of aircraft. "We not only need to weigh up the cost of the aircraft but also the operational and lifecycle costs of the aircraft."
He said pressure on the C-130 fleet had been alleviated in the past few months by improved service from Denel Aviation, putting more aircraft in operation over the World Cup.
Addressing concern about the cost of keeping the new Gripen and Hawk fleets flying at optimal levels, Gen Gagiano said cost savings elsewhere in the SAAF were freeing funds to keep the fighter and advanced training fleets airborne.
"We review the budget from month to month and continue to find funds from somewhere to keep the Gripens and Hawks airborne."
A big saving had been to outsource initial flight training, with recruits trained on civilian Cessnas rather than the more costly PC-7 aircraft.
"This is a huge saving for us as the operational cost of the Cessnas is far lower than that of PC-7, which is a more advanced aircraft.
"The first batch of 20 pilots have completed their course and in future we will allow the flying school to use Swartkops Air Base, which allows for more flexibility and is closer to the flying area."
Source: Business Day
