South Africa has one 80-year-old plane left to patrol its seas

[Jan]

South Africa has one 80-year-old plane left to patrol its seas

South Africa's navy and airforce do not have money to service or replace their scanty contingents of vessels and aircraft essential to protecting the country’s coastline.

This is because the South African National Defence Force has been burning through its budget with high employee costs biting into funding which should go towards servicing these vehicles and procuring new ones.

 

[ToxicBunny]

Reducing employee numbers? Yeah never gonna happen with the ANC at the helm of things, they have shown that that pill is way too bitter for them to even begin to think about swallowing regardless of how necessary it is.

 

[Lupus]

Africa has to Africa. It is honestly getting to the point, please point me to any African country that has actually done things right? I mean we've had the same useless party in power for 27 years, we're about as democratic as any other Democratic country in South America and Africa.

 

[Grubscrew]

Reducing employee numbers? Yeah never gonna happen with the ANC at the helm of things, they have shown that that pill is way too bitter for them to even begin to think about swallowing regardless of how necessary it is.

The recent kwa-zulu natal festivities has shown how few combat ready soldiers we have, the SANDF is top heavy Out of the 65 000 odd on the payroll less than 30 000 are soldiers\seamen sailors\airmen.

 

[Nod]

Africa has to Africa. It is honestly getting to the point, please point me to any African country that has actually done things right? I mean we've had the same useless party in power for 27 years, we're about as democratic as any other Democratic country in South America and Africa.

Botswana is just about the only exception to the rest of sub-Sahara Africa.

 

[Lupus]

Botswana is just about the only exception to the rest of sub-Sahara Africa.

Not really to be honest, they are functioning, but they are also really tiny. They still get electricity from us, they still get a lot of assistance from us. Without South Africa being their neighbour, they'd be pretty much the same as the rest.

 

[Petec]

Yay! Viva ANC!

 

[Mekon]

The cANCer has the negative midas touch. Everything they touch turns to shyt

 

[RyanPCMR]

Those extra employees can be used to act as "lookouts" along coasts to add extra control measures for patrolling the seas. Problem solved!

 

[Leno]

Thought they have been outsourcing this for years, there used to be a charter flight that went up from PE to Richards bay and back low level noting the ship registrations etc

At least the air force has spent good money on the VIP aircraft... /s

 

[Polymathic]

Most countries navies actually actively protect vital shipping routes whilst ours decommissions it's base it in the most vital shipping route for the entire region.

 

[sand_man]

Failed state...

 

[Fulcrum29]

We can do maritime patrol with the Hawks, oh wait...

I believe it was around 3 years ago I posted here that almost all these assets are grounded.

I don't believe we have anything against submarines.

 

[RedViking]

Do they have an employee experienced enough to fly the plane?

 

[nivek]

cool and soon it'll be nuclear powered

"Mini" nuclear reactor tech could return to SA

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[Budza]

Successfully decolonised.

 

[Jam Sandwich]

Yay! Viva ANC!

Viva comrade Petec, Viva!

 

[Jam Sandwich]

Successfully decolonised.

Not quite there...we still have a smidgen of an economy left...
Not long now though....

 

[Fulcrum29]

Do they have an employee experienced enough to fly the plane?

Depends what needs to be piloted, but I don't see how we are doing combat training at the moment. The Hawks are on the way to be derelict, so our trainers are in doubt, and the combat pilots already need to exchange serviceable Gripens to get airtime. I can tell you now, our air combat readiness is close to zero. Just by looking at the landscape.

The only prepared SA pilots are those in service with the UN deployment, but they are helicopter pilots.

White elephants. Sad really, we have limited but good naval and air units all which are now close to unserviceable.

 

[ToxicBunny]

Depends what needs to be piloted, but I don't see how we are doing combat training at the moment. The Hawks are on the way to be derelict, so our trainers are in doubt, and the combat pilots already need to exchange serviceable Gripens to get airtime. I can tell you now, our air combat readiness is close to zero. Just by looking at the landscape.

The only prepared SA pilots are those in service with the UN deployment, but they are helicopter pilots.

White elephants. Sad really, we have limited but good naval and air units all which are now close to unserviceable.

Yeah I would tend towards thinking the same thing.. Our helicopter pilots get the flight time, and are pretty decent. But fixed wing stuff is more than problematic.