Only 6 qualified fighter pilots in the South African Air Force

[Rocketing]

Poor pilots in South Africa

ONLY 6 QUALIFIED FIGHTER PILOTS IN TOTAL

The South African Air Force (SAAF) has an annual budget of 150 hours flying for the WHOLE squadron or 25 hours per pilot for the year.

South Africa bought 26 Gripens but have put 12 into long term storage.

You can read more here (http://bit.ly/YfLPmY)

[Lonewolf_50]

Well ... who wants to attack South Africa? :confused:

[Heathrow Harry]

Precisely.................

Still, looks bad.....

[walter kennedy]

South Africa used to have the most powerful military on the continent.
Their air force facilities were impressive back in the 70's - they hosted the Rhodesian pilots under training for their final phase on Macchi jets in Capetown back then - wish I'd made it that far.
I hope the "International Community" is pleased with the dismemberment of that great nation.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) requires fighter pilots to log at least 20 flight hours per month (240 flight hours per year per fighter pilot) to remain qualified.

Oh, really ?!!

[Lonewolf_50]

Fox, that looks like language from an OLD STANAG.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Very old. The last time I got that many hours in a year was......never.

Best was 234 hrs in 1988, on my convex year on my first Sqn.

[Capetonian]

From where are they threatened?

Swaziland, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Angolsh ...... none of them seem like a great threat!

I hope the "International Community" is pleased with the dismemberment of that great nation.
Funny they've all gone quiet now that the ANC is seen to be corrupt, nepotistic, racist, incompetent, and destructive.

[fallmonk]

Can wee have your spare Grippens please ;-)
Great deal for someone

[t43562]

I think the summary of the story is that the SAAF didn't want Gripens because they were too expensive and hard to develop local weapons for but they got them because of politics (and corruption) and now they can't afford to fly them.

In some ways this sounds similar to what's happening elsewhere in the world.

[Capetonian]

Another thing : The country has more to fear from those who are destroying it from inside than from those who might attack it from outside.

[newt]

That looks like the same number of fighter pilots as the FAA:sad:

[Dysonsphere]

So half in storage whats the betting they go straight from storage to scrap as I doubt they are been stored correctly and probably turning into well robbed hanger queens.

[BEagle]

Another thing : The country has more to fear from those who are destroying it from inside than from those who might attack it from outside.

Sad but true. The legacy of unfettered political correctness......

[millerscourt]

Careful BEagle as otherwise you will only set off pr00ne yet again:yuk:

[Haraka]

As I hinted on another thread Beags,stand by- in the next 18 months or so for the 12 Gripens ( and spares) package to be sold on as a nice little earner for an ANC backed enterprise.

[BEagle]

Perhaps someone should offer Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula a trip in a Gripen:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/nw969/DM_zpsc496eeaa.jpg

She might then see why pilot proficiency requires regular training.

Haraka, I hate to think how much money the ANC has 'reallocated'.....

As for the champagne socialist, he can say what he likes!

[racedo]

Perhaps someone should offer Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula a trip in a Gripen:

Er How ?

Only with a :mad: giant shoehorn at start and tin opener at finish ?

[Heathrow Harry]

"ANC is seen to be corrupt, nepotistic, racist, incompetent, and destructive."

and the Ancient Regime under Verwoerd, Botha, de Klerk etc etc were - Mother Teresa?

It's actually hard to tell the difference sometimes

[Capetonian]

No, the old regime weren't Mother Teresa, but things are a damn sight worse now for the vast majority, whom 'democracy' was supposed to have helped, than ever before.

It's actually hard to tell the difference sometimes
For you perhaps, which implies that you might be commenting without having any real knowledge of the situation.

[rattle and hum]

Poor pilots in South Africa

ONLY 6 QUALIFIED FIGHTER PILOTS IN
TOTAL


Six more than the Kiwi's:)

Sorry, back to the South Africans..............

[prospector]

Six more than the Kiwi's

We have many qualified fighter pilots, it is just that they fly for other Air Forces. Really is a good money saver.

[MrBernoulli]

Capetonian, I wholeheartedly agree that HH's very likely lack of practical knowledge of the situation makes his comment a daft one! It is usually the way. :rolleyes:

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

Jan Smuts must be spinning in his grave.

If the South Americans decide to gang up against us (OK, Chavez is dead), our only friend in the South Atlantic is likely to be South Africa. If anything nasty happens to the Suez Canal or the Gulf, the Cape of Good Hope becomes rather important. A weak South Africa isn't in our best interests. There again, neither is a corrupt one but there's bugger all we can do about that. De Klerk and Botha weren't angels but they never sought parity with Zim.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

If anything nasty happens to the Suez Canal or the Gulf, the Cape of Good Hope becomes rather important. A weak South Africa isn't in our best interests.

Exactly how big do you think the British merchant fleet is these days GBZ?

(Answer in 2008: 180)

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

Well, if you counted the number of ships flying the Red Duster, it wouldn't take very long. Counting the ships that are British owned would take somewhat longer, though. If you then extend the count to ships that are insured in Britain, the numbers should start to stack up.

Regardless of the size of the British Merchant Fleet, it is the effect that disruption would have on us that would be the salient point. Disruption to a bulk carrier, say, under any flag would affect us if it was destined for a British port. Additionally, we probably need to view it as the effect it could have on Europe as a whole. A strength in South Africa is a strength that "we" don't have to provide. Just my view, for what it's worth.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

I think it's a bit simpler. If the Brazilians are agin us, we're screwed. If they're not, nae bother.
Unless the Government of the day is prepared to take the handcuffs off the RN subs, in which case nae bother for the next 5 years, but I doubt they will.