₦airaland Forum

NTSA:
Seems like the Sadc countries have very elaborate drills for Military Funerals

That's not a funeral. Someone dies in the field and a service is held before his body is shipped home. Literally entails bringing the body from the mortuary, some officers say a few words, a guard of honour takes the body to the plane. Nothing elaborate, just a respectful send-off.
The attendees are usually whoever is at the HQ/rear base: brass, Support guys like Logs, Air Force technicians, Mechanics etc.

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"Send off Ceremony of two (02) SAMIM members who passed on at Nkonga Village in Nangade District, Cabo Delgado Province of the Republic of Mozambique. The send off ceremony of Sergeant Musa Mpondo from United Republic of Tanzania and Lance Corporal Zikamee Kamai from the Republic of Botswana was held on the early morning of 01 December 2022 at Pemba Airport. After the ceremony, the mortal remains were repatriated to the United Republic of Tanzania and Republic of Botswana respectively. The CASA 212 from Botswana Defence Force repatriated the mortal remains of Sergeant Musa Mpondo to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania while simultaneously the C27J (Spartan) from Zambia Airforce repatriated the mortal remains of Lance Corporal Zikamee Kamai to Botswana. May the souls of these fallen heroes rest in eternal peace."
Report by: Maj Ntwagae || Deputy Public Information Officer
Photos by: Cpl Motingwa || Photo Journalist

NTSA:
I think they are just basic trucks carrying ammo, food rations, etc

I don't understand this answer. Surely Logs vehicles should always be in Comms reach?

RIP

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Bravo Zulu for Ex Oxide

Exercise Oxide 2022 has run its course with satisfaction expressed on the serials, ranging from Casevac to VBSS (visit, board, search and seizure), executed without a hitch on the “hapless” Lilian Ngoyi by French and South African naval platforms.

The lead fisheries patrol vessel operated by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) was the “target” for the newest addition to the SA Navy fleet, multi-mission inshore patrol vessel (MMIPV) SAS King Sekhukhune I (P1571) and the Reunion-based French Navy patrol ship Le Malin (P701). Others involved in the exercise were the SAN Maritime Reaction Squadron (MRS), Naval Explosive Ordinance Device Disposal (EODD) and the Maritime Search and Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC).

In addition to its search and rescue (SAR) component, Oxide also addressed maritime crime with Ngoyi the target for VBSS serials. These were undertaken, according to a SAN Simon’s Town spokesman, to exchange and improve knowledge between participating navies via patrol and naval tactics.

“All participants experienced no challenges from either defects or weather. The ships departed Simon’s Town harbour under simulated fast in-coming attack craft (FIAC) and commenced the search for participant vessel (Lilian Ngoyi) as the support vessel for the small craft. She was located and positively identified 8 nm west of Kalk Bay. This led to VBSS conducted followed by an onboard military police investigation. Military police on SAS King Sekhukhune I were dispatched to Lilian Ngoyi to conduct investigations. Simulated perpetrators were taken ashore and handed to local authorities for further processing.

The legal aspects of the scenario were not omitted and law enforcement application was deemed successful.

Search and rescue, in addition to testing the skills of naval personnel, saw co-ordination between the MRCC in Cape Town and its sister organisation on the island of La Reunion.

“The rescue was based on a fictitious report to MRCC and the navy vessels were dispatched to the search area. While busy with the search, another area was reported to the ships to investigate. The second area is where personnel in distress were found. Co-ordination between Cape Town and La Reunion was successful with no challenges reported.

“Oxide provided a good opportunity to smoothly conduct operations even when ships met at sea. FNS Nivose (F732) joined the two ships for a Passex and conducted military drills before departing for another mission,” according to the SAN.

Overall Oxide 2022 was summed up a valuable exercise between strategic Indian Ocean partners with civilian authorities’ participation providing an opportunity to further boost co-operation on matters of common interest.

Exercise Oxide 2022 started on 17 November and ended with a closing parade on 26 November at Oscar Wall in Naval Base Simon’s Town’s east dockyard. On parade were naval personnel from both countries who took part in the exercise.

https://www.defenceweb.co.za/featured/bravo-zulu-for-ex-oxide/

GreenandGold:
I've seen this platform while I was in Moza a few years ago... It's actually very small and looks more like a private yacht than a naval one.... I still question it's practicalities, boom Angola buys the same platform.

The funny thing is Privinvest is deeply mired in corrupt activities. Manuel Chang, Mozambique's former finance minister, is currently sitting in a SA jail because of this deal. The huge hole in Moz finances, which saw Nyusi having to go beg Total for help, is a result of this deal.
The methods of Privinvest were known, as they had tried something similar when Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was Nigeria's FM. She told them to fvck off, and warned other finance ministers around the continent.
But, as you say, that didn't stop Moz and Angola!

Hensoldt demos Astus UAV to potential clients

Hensoldt South Africa is holding flight demonstrations of its Astus unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the Western Cape for potential customers, and showcasing the capabilities of the aircraft’s various sensor payloads.

Demonstration flights began on 24 November and continue this week at Saldanha on the Cape west coast. Two UAVs are flying, one fitted with an Epsilon 180 gimbal and the other with a Hensoldt XTP 30 training gimbal. The Epsilon 180 from Octopus ISR Systems weighs 5 kg and features a full HD electro-optical, mid-wave infrared, laser range finder and laser pointer (EO/MWIR/LRF/LP) payload.

During demonstration flights, the 30 x optical zoom camera was able to track a golf ball being played at a local golf course from 2.5 kilometres away, and could clearly reveal the name painted on the side of a ship 10.5 kilometres out to sea. The MWIR sensor has 15 x optical zoom while the laser range finder has a 20 km measuring range.

Hensoldt South Africa and Threod Systems recently launched the new light-weight electro optical Argos-8 system, weighing less than 6 kg and offering day and night capabilities for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions. This will be fitted to the Astus early next year.

Willie Malan, Manager Unmanned Systems at Hensoldt Optronics, emphasised that while the Astus is a capable platform, its key attribute is its sensor payload. Artificial intelligence and imaging technology have improved tremendously in recent years, and this is what Hensoldt is really highlighting with the Astus demonstration. Malan said the 8-inch gimbal’s auto tracker was able to detect moving targets – such as sheep walking through a field – and track vehicles moving through bush.

Various flight profiles are being flown around Saldanha, out to ranges of more than 100 kilometres, and altitudes of up to 16 000 feet (maximum communications range is 200 km). The aircraft is demonstrating its utility in roles from traffic monitoring to maritime surveillance, fisheries patrol, counter-poaching etc.

Numerous local and international potential customers are attending the demonstration, including several “serious prospective buyers.” Attendees are from both civil and military institutions, including non-governmental organisations and city councils. Other flight demonstrations will take place early next year.

Malan said that the Astus airframe is production ready, and basic gimbals integrated, but Hensoldt is working on adding more and different sensors to the airframe.

In addition to the customer demonstrations and payload development flights, the Astus deployment to Saldanha is also assessing the use of a logistical support container for spare parts supply in the field. Over the last few years of testing the Astus team deployed with a large staff component as part of initial development but for this mission the team was cut down to only the minimum five staff needed.

The Astus was first unveiled in September 2018, by Tellumat, and was subsequently acquired by Hensoldt South Africa along with some of Tellumat’s other business units. Key features of the medium-size, medium-range UAV are a 5.2-metre wingspan, 115 kg maximum take-off weight; eight hours flight time at 5 000 feet above sea level; and cruising speed of 55-60 knots. The aircraft can carry payloads up to 10 kg.

The modular and portable ground control station (GCS) can be networked to allow control of the Astus by more than one pilot and payload operator geographically separated across the mission area. It consists of an operator control unit (OCU) and ground data terminal (GDT) that offer flight and mission control management of the Astus.

https://www.defenceweb.co.za/aerospace/aerospace-aerospace/hensoldt-demos-astus-uav-to-potential-clients/

CMN delivers Ocean Eagle patrol boat to Angola

French shipyard Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie (CMN) has delivered an Ocean Eagle 43 trimaran patrol boat to the Angolan Navy, some years after supplying three HSI 32 patrol craft as part of a 495 million euro deal.

CMN announced the delivery last week, noting that the Ocean Eagle 43 is an advanced patrol trimaran designed for long-range surveillance missions, including search and rescue, monitoring of the marine environment, surveillance of exclusive economic and fishing zones, and more.

Mer et Marine reports the vessel was handed over on 19 November in Toulon, where the vessel had concluded its sea trials. It was built at the iXblue shipyard in La Ciotat, to which CMN subcontracts the hull manufacture. The vessel was outfitted by iXblue, with the assistance of CMN.

The vessel is the first of three Ocean Eagles ordered by Angola, Mer et Marine reports. These are being acquired under a 495 million euro deal signed in 2016 with United Arab Emirates-based Privinvest, which at the time announced it would establish a shipyard in Angola and supply several naval vessels. Privinvest has facilities and shipyards in a number of countries including France (CMN), Germany (German Naval Yards Kiel) and the Middle East.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the 2016 deal included three HSI 32 patrol craft, which were delivered in 2019, and a long range offshore patrol vessel and a short range patrol vessel from France.

Angola has been expanding its small navy in recent times and in December 2015 ordered new equipment from Italy, including two patrol boats, radars and six helicopters (four AW139s and two A109Ks). The 7.3 million euro patrol boat order was placed with Whitehead Sistemi Subacquei, part of Finmeccanica (Leonardo).

Recent Angolan Navy deliveries include four Super Dvora Mk III patrol craft, which were ordered from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in 2015 and delivered in 2016. A Cessna Citation jet was delivered in 2017 after being modified to maritime patrol configuration in Israel (this included fitment of a Seaspray radar). In 2018 Angola ordered three C295 aircraft from Spain – two will be specifically equipped for maritime surveillance and one for transport missions.

The Ocean Eagle is also in service with Mozambique, which in September 2013 signed a controversial 200 million euro deal with CMN to build three Ocean Eagle 43s, three HSI 32 interceptors and 24 fishing vessels over a two year period.

https://www.defenceweb.co.za/featured/cmn-delivers-ocean-eagle-patrol-boat-to-angola/

Nigeria enlists drones for border security and crime fighting

Tethered drones are making life easier for Nigerian law enforcement authorities responsible for border and homeland security as well as anti-crime and anti-terrorism operations.

The equipment comes from drone company Elistair, which supplied Orion tethered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the Nigerian police force, a company statement said.

The UAVs were delivered and training given in Abuja at the beginning of the year and “tethered drones are now deployed daily”.

Using Orions, police successfully identified armed terrorist groups thanks to discrete observation and threat detection made possible by the UAVs over an area of several kilometres during 24-hour flights.

“Drones assist Police to monitor active crime scenes, co-ordinate response operations and provide aerial support to responding officers,” a Nigerian police spokesman said.

Deployable in minutes and easily transportable, the Orion allows operators to speedily create a discreet checkpoint with a minimal logistic footprint. The Orion can remain on station for 50 hours and thanks to its 100 metre long Kevlar tether, is immune to jamming. Its dual electro-optical/infrared sensor is suitable for day and night missions and has a detection range of 10 km. The UAV has a total takeoff weight of 10.5 kg and should the tether fail, can parachute safely to Earth.

Elistair opened an office in Ivory Coast’s Abidjan in April 2021 to increase its presence and proximity to West African customers. The company has supplied UAVs to more than 70 countries worldwide from its locations in Africa, France and the United States (US).

The Nigerian police have been expanding their UAV inventory, and recently received a small batch of Songar armed unmanned aerial vehicles from Turkey’s Asisguard, while larger UAVs are entering Nigerian military service.

Asisguard said the Songar deliveries were concluded on 15 September, but did not reveal further details. In May it was reported by Africa Intelligence that Nigeria had ordered ten Songars.

Unveiled in 2019, the Songar multicopter can be fitted with an assault rifle, 40 mm grenade launcher or 81 mm mortar. It can also be fitted with a day/night camera gimbal and laser range finder. An electronic sight and ballistic calculation module assists with weapon deployment and recoil management.

The Nigerian police are expected to use the Songar against armed gangs and bandits, which have recently caused havoc in several states. The Nigerian Police Force has also recently taken delivery of ALTI Transition UAVs from South Africa.

More recent UAV deliveries to Nigeria include at least four AR-500B shipborne unmanned helicopters from China. It is not yet clear if these will be used aboard Nigerian Navy vessels or from land bases. China is supplying several Wing Loong II, CH-4 and CH-3 aircraft to enhance the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) as well as strike capabilities of the Nigerian Air Force.

Nigeria’s military is also getting Bayraktar TB2 UAVs from Turkey – it has been reported that Nigeria ordered six UAVs and two ground stations. Photos posted online in September showed several of the UAVs on the Baykar factory floor in Nigerian markings.

https://www.defenceweb.co.za/aerospace/aerospace-aerospace/nigeria-enlists-drones-for-border-security-and-crime-fighting/

CSIR developing hydrogen-powered UAV

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is busy with the development of a hydrogen-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) using locally developed fuel cell technology to support efforts to decarbonise aviation in South Africa.

Kevin Jamison and Purusha Naidoo, systems engineers at the CSIR, in a presentation to the Aeronautical Society of South Africa at the beginning of November explained that the development of the UAV is in line with the Department of Science and Innovation’s Hydrogen Society Roadmap that aims to develop a sustainable and competitive hydrogen economy in South Africa by 2050.

South Africa has significant unrealised potential to generate low-cost green hydrogen (green hydrogen does not ultimately release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, as it uses renewable energy from wind or solar to split water into hydrogen and oxygen). Rheinmetall Denel Munition, for example, in September launched its green hydrogen modular, self-sustaining, renewable de-centralised energy solution that uses solar power to split water.

The CSIR is developing the hydrogen-powered UAV between 2022 and 2026, as part of a roadmap that could lead to the development of fuel cells for hydrogen-powered general aviation aircraft (2026-2029), and hydrogen-power for regional airliners (2029-2034).

The project aims to develop, demonstrate and prove an integrated airborne hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system for UAVs, and license the fuel cell propulsion system to a local entity for qualification, industrialisation, and commercialization. The UAV, which is optimised for hydrogen propulsion, will also be licensed to a local entity for qualification, industrialisation and commercialization.

The UAV will be of a fixed wing, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) design, with multiple rotors for vertical flight. Although hydrogen fuel cells are initially more expensive than alternative energy sources like fossil fuels or batteries, they are quiet and are much more suitable for long endurance missions than batteries.

The aircraft will be aimed at both civil and military applications, including long endurance patrol, long range monitoring, and long range surveillance, with a reconfigurable payload bay capable of carrying up to 5 kg.

Endurance is intended to be greater than ten hours and maximum operating altitude nearly 5 000 metres above sea level. The aircraft will be designed to operate in difficult conditions, including 60 km/h winds, temperatures of more than 45 degrees Celsius, and 1-5 mm/h of precipitation.

After initial electric (battery)-powered flight testing, the locally developed fuel cell will be integrated into the UAV and will undergo flight testing and demonstrations...
https://www.defenceweb.co.za/aerospace/aerospace-aerospace/csir-developing-hydrogen-powered-uav/

QuietMynd:
One person comment and they both go like "u guys".

Who is "they"?

iblawi:
This is as good as saying SAAF Saab gripens are grounded due to Technical Problems.

They are man made machine that requires maintenance, training and proper funding.

What's the SAAF got to do with this?
I recently posted a similar story about the USAF grounding all their C130H aircraft; didn't see you commenting defensively.

Technical Problems Ground Myanmar’s JF-17 Fighter Jets Bought From China

Most of the newly acquired Chinese and Pakistan-made JF-17 fighter jets that the Myanmar regime has taken delivery of have been grounded due to technical malfunctions, according to analysts and former Myanmar Air Force pilots who monitor the junta’s air capabilities.

The JF-17 fighters—lightweight multi-role combat aircraft jointly manufactured by China and Pakistan—that the Myanmar Air Force has added to its fleet have structural cracks and other technical issues, they told The Irrawaddy.

The aircraft, which are supposed to be capable of interception, ground attack and bombing missions, have turned out to be unfit for service, and the Myanmar military lacks the technical expertise to fix the problems, they added.

Myanmar reportedly inked a deal in early 2016 to procure 16 JF-17s from China at a cost of US$25 million each. A first batch of six aircraft were delivered to the Myanmar Air Force in 2018, but details about the other 10 are not yet clear. The deal made Myanmar the first country outside China and Pakistan to buy JF-17s.

Myanmar regime chief Min Aung Hlaing put four of the malfunctioning JF-17 fighters into commission at a ceremony at the Meiktila air base in December 2018. Two more were commissioned in December 2019 as the Air Force celebrated the 72nd anniversary of its founding.

Jointly manufactured by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and Chengdu Aerospace Corporation of China, the JF-17 was initially designed to balance India’s Air Force. They are equipped with Western avionics and powered by the Russian Klimov RD 93 aeroengine, and set up on a China-made airframe, according to analysts. They can be armed with air-to-air mid-range guided missiles, 80-mm and 240-mm rockets, and 500-lb bombs.

The critical part of the JF-17 avionics is the China-made KLJ-7 Al radar, which has poor accuracy and maintenance problems, analysts say. The aircraft does not even have an effective beyond-visual-range (BVR) missile or airborne interception radar.

Malfunction of the Weapon Mission Management Computer has caused launch zones of BVR air-to-air missiles to shrink during combat exercises, according to experts.

Furthermore, the airframe is vulnerable to damage, especially in its wingtips and hardpoints, when the aircraft encounters strong gravitational forces, according to a former pilot of the Myanmar Air Force.

Problems after purchase

As the avionics and electronics installed in JF-17s are made with parts from Western countries, the Myanmar military purchased the fighter jets through middlemen between 2015 and 2020. Following the coup, the European Union imposed sanctions against the Myanmar military and arms brokers, and the Air Force now has no spare parts for the JF-17s, according to analysts and former pilots.

The trade embargo also makes it impossible for the Myanmar military regime to directly buy missiles and bombs for its JF-17s. The regime meanwhile has forged a partnership with the Pakistan military, sending weapons system officers from the Air Force and Air Defense units to Pakistan for training from time to time.

For the Myanmar Air Force to carry out deadly air strikes on ethnic armed revolutionary organizations and civilians, it mainly needs air-to-surface missiles, and it reportedly held talks with Pakistan to order these as well as bombs and rockets. Around May this year, a cargo plane from Pakistan loaded with JF-17 spare parts landed in Myanmar.

Technicians from the Pakistan Air Force made a secret visit to Myanmar in September during which they set up a JF-17 simulator for pilots of the Myanmar Air Force at Pathein air base, and also solved some technical problems. A JF-17 weapons system officer however said the weapons system of the JF-17 is too technically complex for Myanmar pilots to handle, according to former pilots.

Current situation

Thanks to the JF-17s’ poor accuracy, the Myanmar Air Force still can’t use them for combat four years after they were commissioned. This has led the Air Force to rely on Russian-made Yak-130 and MiG-29 fighter jets and China-made K-8 fighters, said analysts.

While the Myanmar Air Force has spent a large sum to procure malfunctioning aircraft from China and Pakistan, arms broker Dr. Naing Htut Aung has earned millions of US dollars from the deal, The Irrawaddy has learned.

At the 72nd anniversary event for the Myanmar Air Force, Min Aung Hlaing boasted that the Myanmar Air Force started with Tiger Moth planes, but now has hangars filled with modern aircraft including supersonic jet fighters, transportation aircraft, and assault and transportation helicopters.

He made no mention of the Air Force’s unusable JF-17 fighters.

https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/technical-problems-ground-myanmars-jf-17-fighter-jets-bought-from-china.html

Stormtrooper11:
Nice radar. Can't identify the ifv. What's the name?

The Badger, a South African variant of the Finnish Patria.
The troubled project is years and years behind schedule, owing primarily to corruption and mismanagement at Denel.

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More from the Exercise Vukuhlome open day.

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Largest SA Army exercise in decades wraps up

More than 13 000 troops have taken part in the South African Army’s Exercise Vuk’uhlome at the Combat Training Centre in the Northern Cape, with the landmark exercise showcasing the capabilities of the five newly formed Modern Brigades.

The weeks-long exercise culminated in a mock battle and capability demonstrations coinciding with a Distinguished Visitors’ Day on 24 November, which was attended by Defence Minister Thandi Modise, senior Southern African Development Community defence force leaders, foreign military attaches, members of the local defence industry, and other guests.

The South African Army said the divisional exercise is the largest executed since 1999 and showcased the capabilities of the newly formed Motorised, Mechanised, Airborne, Light, and Reserve Modern Brigades. The new brigade formations are designed and set up to respond to modern threats such as asymmetric warfare and were established in response to the current security situation. The modern brigade concept is cognisant of asymmetric and terrorism threats to South Africa.

Vuk’uhlome (‘rise and arm yourself’ in Zulu) tested the capability and status of readiness of the landward force, supported by SA Special Forces, the SA Air Force (SAAF), SA Military Health Service (SAMHS), Military Police Division, and Legal Services Division. Numerous capabilities were demonstrated during the exercise’s Distinguished Visitors’ Day, ranging from dealing with civil unrest to dropping airborne forces by parachute, precision rocket and artillery attacks, counter-insurgency operations, infantry attacks etc.