Addressing the media on Thursday morning, South African Air Force (SAAF) Chief Lieutenant-General Fabian Zimpande Msimang highlighted the mutual importance of the relationship between his Service and the local aerospace and aviation industries. “Strategic partnerships are being forged with the aviation industry to share aviation technical skills between industry and the SAAF with the aim of growing the domestic aviation industry and to drive innovation,” he said.

This relationship is embodied in the SAAF’s definition of air power. “Air power is the nation’s capacity to project through the medium of air or aerospace in the employment of all its aviation resources, civil and military, public and private, in support of air operations.” He noted that the SAAF’s “strategic partnership with the local aerospace industry is critical to ensure both own capability and a sustainable aviation industry”.

Early this year, there was controversy around the SAAF’s ending of its Aero Manpower Group (AMG) contract with Denel Aviation, under which the State-owned company deployed aircraft maintenance personnel to SAAF bases. “The Auditor General found the AMG contract with Denel to be noncompliant with the current regulatory framework,” he explained.

The AMG contract, which was terminated at the end of March, was replaced by an interim Skilled Services Agreement (SSA) with Denel Aviation. “The SAAF has thus developed an own capability plant that includes the transfer of skills from the SSA employees; ongoing and targeted recruitment; optimisation of logistics systems and structures; improved technical personnel development, motivation and utilisation; and greater cooperation with strategic technical partners, including collateral utilisation of Denel Aviation’s extensive engineering capability,” he affirmed.

Msimang reported that most of the short-term targets of this capability plan were being achieved. The SAAF currently has enough technical officers and artisans to fill about 90% of the required posts. “The retention of experienced artisans and technical officers is stable,” he assured. “The SAAF will continue to ensure the highest standards of flight safety and efficiency.”

During the question and answer session after his address, Msimang and other senior SAAF Generals, while admitting that the air force was operating within financial constraints, affirmed that the SAAF has not grounded any aircraft nor put any into storage. Rather, aircraft were subject to a rotational maintenance and preventive programme, and could be made available, if required. “We are not grounding any of our aircraft,” reiterated Msimang.