₦airaland Forum

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Exercise Vukuhlome 2023...

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80 Air Navigation School Land and Sea Survival: Overcoming Adversities in Dangerous Terrains.

From 20 November 2023 to 08 December 2023, the South African Air Force pupil pilots were being prepared for the unforeseen.
Survival training is more than a mere addition to the syllabus but rather an essential component ensuring aviators are ready for the uncharted waters they will have to navigate in the future as fully fledged military pilots. The Land and Sea Survival programme entails instilling resilience, adaptability and resourcefulness and the pupil pilots are taught to thrive whether stranded in unfamiliar environments or adrift at sea, through a curriculum designed to cultivate a survival mindset.

The students were trained to construct shelters using natural resources, procuring sustenance from the environment, utilising navigation techniques, signalling methods for rescue and water sourcing.
Although only completing the first part of the training, it was some form of relief for the pupils, though lingering at the back of their minds was the mysterious remaining half of the training that they still had to undergo.

The testament to the effectiveness of this training lies in real life success stories. At the end of this training, the future aviators should have acquired the ability to navigate and survive unexpected situations should they find themselves in.

Article by Lieutenant Nobuhle Mohami || Air Force Base Ysterplaat || Corporate Communication Officer and Photographs by Warrant Officer Class 1 Howard Mokhuoa and Warrant Officer Class 2 Nathan Geduld || 2 ASU Photo Section || SA Air Force.
More...

pocom35:
Top 10 most Powerful African Navies

Since you're new, I'll be polite.
We dont do such infantile meaningless things here.

6 South African Infantry Battalion (Air Assault) - the battalion that defeated M23 in the DRC in 2013 - getting ready for rotation for a year's duty in Mozambique as Combat Group Charlie. Impressed with how well thought-out the whole SAMIM conventional deployment has been:
- first 2 battalions were mainly Portuguese speakers;
- 6SAI contains a decent smattering of Portuguese and Swahili speakers - Swahili being the commercial language linking Cabo Delgado and neighbouring Tanzania.

Via SANDF Comms:

6 South African Infantry Battalion (Combat Group Charlie) Mobilisation Activities and Welcoming by Officer Commanding of 6 SA Infantry Battalion in Makhanda Eastern Cape.
Joint Mobilisation and Demobilisation HQ, under Joint Operational Headquarters (JOps) responsible for external and internal operations, was active in November 2023, at 6SAI. The mobilisation team consisting of 18 members from Joint Operations, led by Major G. Koose, Acting Officer Commanding Joint Mobilisation and Demobilisation Headquarters, was warmly welcomed by the Officer Commanding of 6SAI, Lieutenant Colonel B. Miller.
After a year's training, 6SAI is deploying for the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM), in the province of Cabo Delgado in Mozambique (Operation VIKELA), for a 12-month rotation.
The Mobilisation programme commenced by clearing in of the troops and checking in of files. It was then followed by a week-long series of briefings from specialists who presented different topics pertaining to Op Vikela.

Hensoldt South Africa and BAE Systems collaborate on Striker II helmet

Hensoldt South Africa is collaborating with BAE Systems on the development of the Striker II helmet-mounted display for the Royal Air Force’s Typhoon fleet.

In September, the UK Ministry of Defence announced it had awarded BAE Systems a £40 million contract for the new helmets, which will provide pilots with an all-digital night vision system and daylight readable colour display. Striker II displays data directly onto the pilot’s helmet visor, providing an augmented reality of the real world alongside mission critical information right before their eyes.

Building on a history of successful collaboration and the development of the Striker I, Hensoldt South Africa will supply the advanced optic sensors for the helmet and will be responsible for the development of its intelligent tracking system, the company said in a statement.

Developed at BAE Systems in Rochester, UK, the Striker II digital Helmet-Mounted Display (HMD) builds on the decades of combat-proven performance by the Striker HMD used on Typhoon and Gripen aircraft. The Striker I/II use an optical helmet tracking system developed by Denel Cumulus, now Hensoldt South Africa. The Cobra helmet adopted by Gripen users has the same system.

The Striker II supports the display of high-resolution sensor systems such as a distributed aperture systems, which allows pilots to see through the body of the aircraft. Using optical sensors embedded in the aircraft, Striker II immediately calculates the pilot’s exact head position and angle. This means no matter where the pilot is looking, Striker II displays accurate targeting information and symbology, with near zero latency.

According to Hensoldt, the Striker II offers the only full colour solution with integrated night vision available anywhere, with next-generation EBAPS (Electron Bombarded Active Pixel Sensor) night vision, optional 3D audio, and battle proven target tracking technology.

Striker II transforms the pilot’s helmet visor into an augmented reality interface, overlaying mission-critical data onto the real-world environment. Hensoldt’s helmet tracking technology precisely identifies the pilot’s focal point, facilitating tasks like real-time data display on the helmet visor. This not only enhances situational awareness in the cockpit, but also addresses the need to mitigate sensory overload.

While Hensoldt South Africa’s advanced optic sensors will be used in the helmet, the company will also be developing the system’s inertial storage driver unit (ISDU), the electronic component that provides the helmet’s ‘intelligence’. This component employs sophisticated algorithms to convert data gathered from the helmet’s sensors, the aircraft, navigational data and information about the aircraft’s surroundings into intelligible symbology that is displayed on the pilot’s visor, Hensoldt SA said, adding, “this real-time situational awareness empowers pilots to make swift, informed decisions, elevating their tactical advantage.”

“Hensoldt is proud to bolster BAE Systems’ efforts to ensure that the Striker’s capabilities remain at the forefront of innovation,” said Deon Olivier, Chief Executive of Hensoldt’s Optronics’ business in South Africa.

Hensoldt South Africa said its involvement in the Royal Air Force project is set to generate substantial foreign direct investment, while simultaneously supporting highly skilled jobs at its Irene site in South Africa, where 400 people are employed. Operations at this site focus on the design, development, and manufacturing of optical, optronic, and precision-engineered products tailored for monitoring, identification, classification and targeting purposes.

Raeblack:
Zambia Air Force (ZAF) MA-60 and C-27J crews conducted a crew change for Lesotho Defence Force contingent on a rotation basis between Pemba District of Mozambique and Maseru, Lesotho.

The Zambians and the Angolans have been doing a sterling job as the air component of SAMIM.
SADC should resuscitate the old idea from the Mbeki presidency days - copied from the EU - of jointly buying and operating heavy and medium military airlift. At this stage I don't even care what platforms (A400m/Il76(heavy); C130/C390(medium)), just get on with it.

New South African UAV unveiled for security and other missions

South African company Aquila Viour has designed and manufactured a rugged new unmanned helicopter for security and other missions.

The Alto unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was demonstrated at the recent DCD Protected Mobility demo day where it was fitted with Global Command and Control Technologies’ Chaka command and control system and Rajant communications system as well as a camera, but it is payload agnostic and can accommodate a variety of payloads – the current version can carry 3 kg (the aircraft weighs 8 kg empty), but future versions will be able to carry 5 and 15 kg payloads ranging from electro-optical gimbals to synthetic aperture radar.

Optional equipment includes a terrain following sensor, laser radar (LIDAR), anti-jam GPS, ADS-B transponder and collision avoidance system.

Aquila Viour (Eagle Eye) Director Leon Labuschagne told defenceWeb the Alto is designed to fit between low- and high-end UAVs and has lots of applications in the mining, police, private security and defence sectors, with one customer looking to use it for patrolling game reserves, and the SA Navy interested in using it at night for detecting divers and boats, for example. Other possible uses are stringing ropes across a river, delivering medical supplies, demining with a ground penetrating radar etc. The UAV can land on boats/ships, giving it a maritime application.

It can operate autonomously after receiving its flight plan or can patrol areas of interest. By using the latest advances in artificial intelligence, robotics, image processing and synthetic aperture radar techniques, targets can be located and identified in challenging environments, for example in dense bush or search and rescue over land and sea.

The Alto’s airframe is made from carbon fibre and as such has been designed for harsh African conditions. A Japanese-built two stroke piston petrol engine was chosen as its power plant as this allows for longer endurance than electric motors – endurance is over two hours and range 15-20 km. Cruise speed is 54 km/h and maximum speed 90 km/h, with maximum altitude 3 000 metres. According to Aquila Viour, the Alto has favourable operating costs – R85 per hour compared to R140-150 for a comparable DJI UAV.

The company claims a noise level of below 90 decibels, making the Alto practically undetectable for sound and sight from the ground when flying at heights over 500 metres (noise can be reduced to 38 decibels with an optional muffler). As a true helicopter rather than a multicopter, Aquila Viour says it can operate in gale force wing up to eight on the Beaufort Wind Scale (62-74 km/h).

Aquila Viour was established last year, but the Alto has been in development for about five years. Manufacturing is taking place at the company’s facilities at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria.

The Alto was in 2022 recognised by the Department of Trade and Industry as an innovation participant for applications in the fields of reconnaissance and surveillance.

Fincantieri signs ten-year maintenance contract for Egyptian FREMM frigates

Italy’s Fincantieri has signed a €260 million contract with Egypt for the maintenance of two FREMM frigates over a ten year period.

The company made the announcement on 22 November, stating the total value of the contract includes the portion that will be allocated to Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (OSN) – the joint venture owned by Fincantieri and Leonardo with stakes of 51% and 49%, respectively – as a sub-supplier.

Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Fincantieri, said, “This contract confirms Fincantieri’s strategy of creating long-term strategic partnerships involving multi-year delivery of technology services with key customers”.

The Egyptian Navy received two ex-Italian Navy FREMM frigates, ENS Bernees (ex-Emilio Bianchi) and ENS Al Galala (ex-Spartaco Schergat) in April 2021 and December 2020 respectively.

It was reported in early 2020 that Egypt was interested in buying two FREMM frigates from Italy, drawn from the Italian Navy’s procurement programme – the vessels Spartaco Schergat and Emilio Bianchi, launched in January 2019 and January 2020, respectively – enabling Fincantieri to sell the vessels for an estimated cost of €1.2 billion.

The ex-Italian frigates are in ‘general purpose’ configuration and armed with a Leonardo 127/64 mm LightWeight (LW) mm gun, a 76/62 mm Super Rapido gun and two 25 mm guns as well as the MBDA SAAM-ESD (Surface Anti-Air Missile – Extended Self-Defence) Air Defence Missile system able to launch the Aster family of surface-to-air missiles. Some sensitive equipment particular to the Italian Navy, including electronic warfare systems, have apparently been removed and replaced with equipment sourced elsewhere.

The Italian Navy’s Carlo Bergamini-class FREMM frigates have a full load displacement of about 6 500 tons, an overall length of about 144 meters and can reach a top speed of 27 knots with a maximum cruising range of 6 800 nautical miles at 15 knots.

Egypt previously received the French FREMM frigate Normandie (Tahya Misr) from France in 2015, optimised for anti-submarine warfare.

SANDF Division Exercise Vukuhlome 2023:

SIMULATED battle field casualty extraction

First use of the Badger ambulance version in the thick of battle to collect the injured; transfer to a less hostile location in the Mfezi ambulance; return the injured to a treatment centre

GreenandGold:
The SANDF

I'm more interested in the medium-transport space. The Brazilian Embraer C-390 was here last week for tests. We need at least 9 as a replacement for our old C-130s, and the Brazilians are trying to sweeten the deal by moving some Embraer MRO activity here.
They tried a decade ago, but when Bolsonaro became president, SA/Brazil collaboration was kiboshed; let's see if relations improve now Lula and the PT are back in power.

MiddleDimension:
And the rooivalk? how does it comoare to these ones?

For all of the Rooivalk's superb raw flight performance and characterists, the absence of a millimeter wave radar is too much of an impediment.

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SA Army Career Expo and Capability Demonstration at Combat Training Centre || Exercise VUKUHLOME.

SA Army welcomes more than a thousand learners from schools around Northern Cape who came to experience the Career Expo and capability demonstration at the Combat Training Centre in Lohatla, Mount Huxley.

The SA Army is currently showcasing the different careers that are within the military to ensure that learners, mostly grade 11 and grade 12, follow the right career path.

Article by Captain Tshegofatso Gwai and Second Lieutenant Sinenhlanhla Langazana || Photographs by Corporal Simphiwe Cele and Sergeant Tshupo.

Disclaimer || Permission was obtained for the scholars' photographs to be taken during SA Army activities, and they also agreed to their publishing on the SA National Defence Force's social media platforms.

Faithful007:
Are you trying to deflect the argument to something else?

Gotcha 😁

Yohdarlng:
Ok thanks, that's cool. It looks like a AK - M4 hybrid though

This graphic explains the evolution: from the Nazis, to the Soviets, to the Finns, to the Isrealis, to we Saffas.

Yohdarlng:
I'm sorry, but what kind of riffle is this?

It's the R4 assault rifle, a South African adaptation of the Israeli Galil.