Hawk, Gripen offsets empower local industry
Date: 7 October 2010
Some 85% of the maintenance of the South African Air Force's (SAAF's) Hawk fighter trainers can now be done locally, saving the country a considerable amount in foreign exchange.
The proportion for the Gripen is now about 65%, although this will increase.
"This is thanks to the offset programmes, especially defence industrial participation programmes, which empowered local industry to support us," said SAAF director: combat systems brigadier general John Bayne at AFB Makhado on Thursday.
Regarding the Hawk, some 65% of the maintenance is done by the air force at AFB Makhado, 20% is done by local industry, leaving only 15% to be done overseas. The overseas work has to be paid for in pounds or euros.
Some 50% of the maintenance for the Gripen is done at AFB Makhado and about 15% by the local industry.
Technology transfer on both aircraft was significant. Technology transfer for the Gripen included the radar, the fly-by-wire system and the full authority digital engine control system.
"We can operate both these aircraft with our own ground crews and technicians very well," stated Bayne.
The SAAF on Thursday graduated its first Gripen pilots and its first Gripen strike navigator trained entirely in South Africa.
One of the pilots was the world's first woman Gripen fighter pilot.
Source: Engineering News
