30
GA
/ Vol. 5 / No.4 / APRIL 2013
With plans to replace the old C 130BZ
Hercules apparently in 'sleep mode'
at present, Dennys Plessas Lockheed
Martin's Vice President Business
Development Initiatives, Europe,
Middle East and Africa, has urged the
Government to begin planning for new
aircraft needed by the SA Air Force,
At present the SAAF has nine
Hercules which are expected to
continue in operation for another seven
years but it is imperative that plans
are made in the very near future to
obtain replacement aircraft if South
Africa is not to find itself without airlift
capabilities, especially as it can take
five years for delivery of new aircraft.
Plessas was addressing journalists
in Pretoria on March 13.
The final operation-ready
Rooivalk helicopter has been
handed over to the South African
Air Force by Denel Aviation.
Mike Kgobe, the CEO of Denel
Aviation says the acceptance of the
locally developed combat support
helicopter marks the culmination
of a 26 year partnership between
Military News
Will C-130J
replace
ageing C-130
Hercules?
Regarded as a true workhorse the
C 130BZ celebrates its 50th year in
service this year and is the forerunner of
the C 130J that Lockheed is hoping the
SAAF will consider as a replacement
for the ageing Hercules operating
by 28 Squadron at AFB Waterkloof.
Plessas believes that the C 130J would
be imminently suitable especially as
at least half the infrastructure needed
for new Lockheed Martin platforms is
already in place. The aircraft are used
to fulfil tasks ranging from logistic
support for SA National Defence
Force, continental peacekeeping
and peace support operations,
humanitarian operations, support to the
landward force, and general airlift.
The C 130J is capable of multi-
mission operations including air-to-air
refuelling, VIP passenger transport,
firefighting, maritime patrol and
reconnaissance, paradropping and with
the addition of the Marine Corps's
ISR / Weapon Mission Kit, the tanker
will be able to serve as an overwatch
aircraft and can deliver ground support
fire. This capability, designated as
"Harvest HAWK" (Hercules Airborne
Weapons Kit), can be used in scenarios
where precision is not a requisite.
Based at AFB Waterkloof, the new
generation airlifters, when suitably
equipped, could refuel Gripens on
operations across the continent. They
could also provide full coverage,
using a single aircraft, of South
African territory and its priority
fishing areas also from Waterkloof,
thereby eliminating the need to have
aircraft together with all maintenance
facilities stationed at AFB Ysterplaat,
Cape Town, or Port Elizabeth.
The aircraft uses a system of
roll-on/roll-off components for
different missions but these do
not all have to be done at once.
"These are all already in service and
development costs have been paid by
the US Air Force. This means no extra
cost and with all the necessary fitment
options already on the C-130J they
can be acquired as need and finance
dictate adding more value to the multi-
mission role of the aircraft," they said.
The C-130BZs were
originallyscheduled to be replaced
by Airbus' A400M, but this order
was cancelled due to delays in
production, and cost escalations. ·
Final Rooivalk handover cements relationship
between Denel and SAAF
the SAAF and Denel. "We took
this proudly South African aircraft
through all its stages from design
to manufacturing, upgrading and
retrofitting to the point where
it will soon be deployed.
Denel will continue to be
involved with the Rooivalk through
on-going maintenance and repair
services and providing the continued
airworthiness engineering support
to ensure the fleet of 11 helicopters
remains mission ready.
Mr Kgobe says the Rooivalk
project is indicative of the symbiotic
relationship between Denel Aviation
and the SAAF. "We are always ready
to provide technical and ground
support to ensure the operational
readiness of the Air Force's fleet."
This relationship was
strengthened last week with an
agreement in which Denel Aviation
will continue to deliver vital
maintenance services to the SAAF,
leading to continued airworthiness
and the upkeep of air assets.
"This is a win-win situation for
both Denel and the SAAF which
results in the retention of high-level
critical skills, a focused service
delivery and cost effectiveness
for the SAAF," says Mr Kgobe.
The company recently received a
"zero defect report" from the SAAF
to confirm that all 11 Rooivalk