Air force wings clipped

The SA Air Force is in crisis. Its pilot and navigator recruitment programmes have been shut down and there are plans to shelve other projects.

The air force's deputy chief, Major-General Gerald Malinga, yesterday blamed the crisis on severe under-funding.

Malinga, speaking moments after the air force's annual demonstration of its capabilities in Limpopo, said: "This [crisis] is no joke. We realise South Africa has huge socio-economic priorities, where people walk 20km to reach a clinic, never mind a hospital, but the military - especially the air force - is extremely complex with certain requirements around multi-billion-rand equipment having to be met."

Flights by the country's multimillion-rand Gripen fighter jets and some bombing simulations were cancelled at yesterday's demonstration to save money .

Allaying fears that the air force was incapable of fulfilling its mandate, Malinga said: "Whatever the task, we will deliver, but it will be extremely challenging, especially with funding," he said.

DefenceWeb reports that all air force recruitment drives , including those intended to attract pilots and navigator s, have been stopped.

According to the defence analysis website, the two recruitment programmes, which annually attract 5000 applications, had been canned for the year because of "internal problems".

Of the 5000 applicants, only about 50 are accepted for pupil pilot or navigation posts.

Defence analyst Helmoed Heitman said that there had been a dramatic decrease in the number of hours SAAF pilots and navigators were able to fly. Over the last five financial years the number of flying hours has decreased by nearly 10% to 33930.

Heitman said that, of the 26 Gripens bought, 12 were in storage.

"The bottom line is that, with severely limited funding, none of the pilots can fly the hours they need to if they hope to be proficient. "The Gripen fighter squadron has been allocated a total of 150 flying hours for the entire squadron. But 150 hours is what each pilot should be flying.

"It is so bad that, last year, plans were [considered for] removing from service the Gripens, the Hawk fighter-trainer jets, the Rooivalk attack helicopters and the A109 light utility helicopters."

Heitman said: "The government must decide whether we are a regional or a sub-regional power, or if we are simply to guard our borders, and then fund the defence force accordingly.

"Otherwise we must accept defeat, stop fooling ourselves and start closing down bases and units."