annrep 1011 1 to 148.qxp - Department of Defence

D E P A R T M E N T O F D E F E N C Efied. The lack of steady state contract for the Hawk capabilitywill continue to negatively impact on the sustained longterm combat and mission readiness of this capability.The Helicopter Capability has served as a paramount asset toboth internal and external operations. Long lead times oncomponents required by the Lynx and late approval of aninterim support contract for the Rooivalk system had a directimpact on the cash flow of the capability area. The orderedcommitments, humanitarian support and search and rescueoperations were honoured.The Side-by-Side pupil pilot training by Babcock FlyingAcademy at Air Force Base Swartkop was conducted and dueobservations were made regarding its overall impact on theSAAF pupil pilot training efforts.The Avionic retrofit of the PC7 MKII aircraft progressed asplanned. Funds were made available to repair three enginesand overhaul six engines in order to increase aircraft availabilityand mission readiness.The Air Force unfortunately suffered two major accidentswith the Agusta A109 helicopter crashes in November 2010at Potchefstroom and in December 2010 at Balito. RelevantBoards of Inquiry have been convened and are in progress.There is another investigation being conducted following theincident at AFB Makhado where a pilot lost his life during hisfirst solo flight on a HAWK aircraft. Aviation safety training,however, continued to be provided, with 306 Air Force membersqualifying in aviation safety. Safety, Health,Environment, Risk and Quality (SHERQ) training courseswere presented with a total of 266 SAAF members beingdeclared competent during the financial year.Within the SAAF strategic focus, the critical challenges in theshort and medium term remains in the domain of four areas,Human Resource development and utilization, affordability,operational readiness and support optimisation. Actions wereinitiated to retain skilled personnel and to improve representivity.Although recruitment by aviation industries hasreduced, skilled Air Force personnel will be in demand oncethe effect of the global economic downturn improves.Cutting through every sphere of these strategic issues is achallenge of underfunding. The Air Force's diverse interventionsefforts towards infrastructure maintenance, developmentand retention of specialist skills, enhancing operationalsupport, do not have a long term and lasting impact. Theyprovide an important emergency relief of a temporal nature.The impact of underfunding further exacerbates the obsolescenceproblems especially on the older generation aircraftsystems that are more than 40 years old.A strategic guideline decision to relocate the Air Force BaseDurban to King Shaka during the year under review could notbe implemented due to the financial implication. The totalcosts for the relocation is estimated at Rm 800.Given the account of the SAAF on the expected output for theyear under review, the Air Force has managed to deliver on68the planned output albeit at a cost. There is clear evidence, aselaborated in this report, that the previous cuts and underfunding in the SAAF operating budget has reached culminationpoint in terms of adverse effects on SAAF capabilities.A risk exists that not all the required system tests can beeffectively done due to lack of adequate flying hours. Thesystem operational hand-over timeline to the SAAF isplanned for March 2012.There is no doubt that the SAAF diverse air capabilities,given the adequate support in terms of resources, can deliveron the required output beyond expectations as was demonstratedduring the 2010 FIFA World Cup.P u r p o s e o f t h e P r o g r a m m eThe Air Defence Programme provides prepared and supportedair defence capabilities for the defence and protection ofSouth Africa.S u b p r o g r a m m e sStrategic Direction provides strategic direction to theAir Defence programme by formulating and controllingstrategies, policies and plans via the Air Force Office toprepare and provide the capabilities required by Chief ofthe SANDF. In principle, budgeting is based on the costof operating the air defence headquarters.Operational Direction provides operational directionto the Air Defence programme by means of an AirCommand. In principle, budgeting is based on the costof operating the air command.Helicopter Capability provides and sustains operationallyready light utility helicopters, medium transporthelicopters and combat support helicopters, staffed byappropriately qualified personnel. In principle, fundingis distributed according to the number and size of units,systems and equipment operating and maintenancerequirements, and the number of force preparation exercisesand training courses.Transport and Maritime Capability provides and sustainsoperationally ready transport and maritime aircraft,staffed by appropriately qualified personnel. Inprinciple, funding is distributed according to the numberand size of units, systems and equipment operating andmaintenance requirements, and the number of forcepreparation exercises and training courses.Air Combat Capability provides and sustains operationallyready fighter aircraft, staffed by appropriatelyqualified personnel. In principle, funding is distributedaccording to the number and size of units, systems andequipment operating and maintenance requirements,and the number of force preparation exercises and trainingcourses.ANNUAL REPORT FY 2010/2011