SAAF to solo first Gripen pilots
Date: 5 October 2010
The South African Air Force (SAAF) will on Thursday present the first locally qualified Saab Gripen fighter pilots during a solo flying event to be held at Air Force Base Makhado. The four pilots, three males (black, Indian and white) and a first-ever SAAF female Gripen fighter pilot (white), successfully completed the type Operational Conversion Course (OCC).
The SAAF in a statement says the "achievement is a milestone in the history of South Africa, the SANDF and the SAAF as this is the first OCC to be presented by local SAAF pilot instructors from 2 Squadron... The four newly qualified Gripen fighter pilots will fly solo to showcase the SAAF's combat readiness in ensuring that the airspace over the Republic of South Africa, its citizens and its sovereignty are protected."
The South African government, on behalf of the Air Force ordered 28 Saab Gripen C & D advanced light fighter aircraft in 1999 as part of a "strategic defence package". The Gripen were acquired as a package with 24 BAE Systems Hawk Mk120 lead-in fighter trainers. At the time Treasury put the figure for the two types combined at R15.772 billion. Only in 2007 did separate figures emerge: R7.2 billion for the Hawk and R19.908 billion for Gripen, making for a combined R27.01 billion, a considerable increase over the original figure.
The first four Project Ukhozi two-seat SAAF Gripen D were delivered on September 17, 2008 during the opening ceremony of that year's Africa Aerospace and Defence exhibition. Gripen D deliveries ended in July 2009 and the first two Gripen C arrive in South Africa on February 11, 2010. The SAAF currently has nine D and six C-model aircraft. Delivery of the last aircraft is expected in 2012. he SAAF will then have 26 of the type, having trimmed two from its order.
The SAAF was the aircraft's first export customer and second user after the Swedish Air Force. Since the fighter has been adopted by the Czech and Hungarian air forces and ordered by the Royal Thai Air Force.
Although still in project phase an not an operational system, the Gripen conducted about half the 51 aircraft intercepts conducted during the June/July soccer world cup were conducted by the type. he SAAF deployed 11 of the available Gripen during the month-long tournament as well as 12 of 24 BAE Systems Hawk lead-in fighter trainers.
Air Force director fighters, Brigadier General John Bayne, told a Gripen briefing at the SAAB chalet at Africa Aerospace & Defence 2010 exhibition that some 347 combat air patrols (CAP) were flown to secure all 64 games. In a similar briefing in August, Major General Les Lombard, the General Officer Commanding the Air Force Command Post said with "that grouping of aircraft we could cater for various threats, be it from paragliders right up to the possibility of hijacked airliners."
For this purpose the Gripen were allocated 276 flying hours and the Hawks 279. Bayne says the five two-seat Gripen D were 98% reliable and the six single-seat Gripen C 89%. The Hawk was 98% reliable. At any given time 8.95 of the 11 Gripen were available and 11.6 of the Hawk. Maintainability was 89% for Gripen and 92% for Hawk. Bayne observed that the figures for Gripen would have been higher had it been an operational system.
Source: DefenceWeb
