₦airaland Forum

GreenandGold:
The lesson here is; soldiers need to spend a lot of time learning how to shoot with a rifle they'll never use in combat

Jy wil mos!

Table Mountain Cable car always closes for maintenance in the winter months of July/August. I wondered last week when I saw lights and a SAAF chopper buzzing around. Now explained.

...last.

...I see Nairaland still hasn't fixed the photo upload bug...

Lurker4Long:
Table Mountain Cable car is always closed for maintenance in winter. I wondered last week when I saw lights and a SAAF chopper buzzing around. Now explained.

That cable car is as available as the Gold Reef helicopter rides, which is once in a blue moon.

GreenandGold:
That cable car is as available as the Gold Reef helicopter rides, which is once in a blue moon.

I can see the Lower Cableway Station from my house, and by 7am, the line of cars backs up all the way to Kloofnek Rd.
That's why we Capetonians hike up the mountain, and take the cable car down.

SAAF at AAD2024

Algerian Special Forces • 104th RMO Special Operations Regiment .

Ghana Air Force officers complete ATC training in South Africa

Eight officers from the Ghana Air Force (GAF) have completed their basic air traffic control (ATC) course at Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS) in South Africa.

The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Vice Marshal Frederick Asare Kwasi Bekoe, commended them for their “excellent performance”, the GAF said in a statement. Bekoe interacted with the officers when they visited the Ghana Air Force Headquarters on 10 September 2024.

During the visit, Bekoe noted that he had closely monitored their progress throughout the course. He encouraged them to maintain exemplary conduct and to share their newly acquired knowledge with colleagues to ensure the smooth execution of the mandate of the Ghana Air Force.

Their course covered, amongst others, Aerodrome Control Rating, Approach Control Procedure and Approach Control Radar Rating.

The officers were sent to South Africa in October 2023. Sending them off last year, Bekoe said, “I believe that the exposure you will gain on this course will enhance your skills and enable you to tackle challenging situations with a global perspective. This will enable you to perform your duties effortlessly in ensuring the safety and efficiency of air travel.”

Algerian Air Force Wing Loong 2 make its first official appearance

Lurker4Long:
...I see Nairaland still hasn't fixed the photo upload bug...

I don't think it's a bug, I think it's a server bandwidth issue.... Unlike most online forums that upload images via source code links, we upload directly to this platform, that consumes a lot of server bandwidth. If you own such a platform, you need deep pockets for constant up-scaling... There's a point where you need to have your own dedicated servers and a whole workforce around that infrastructure. It gets expensive very quickly.

The SVI 6x6 Land Cruiser Armscor bid vehicle at the front. It does not have a name.

Lurker4Long:
SAAF at AAD2024

+ 1

Off-topic

GreenandGold, slowly we are crawling out of the 9-year long hole Zuma and his thieves dug us into.
Trainset number 260 out of 600 rolled out of Gibela Rail's manufacturing plant, last week.

22 Squadron SAAF at Simon'stown this morning.

Lurker4Long:
Off-topic

GreenandGold, slowly we are crawling out of the 9-year long hole Zuma and his thieves dug us into.
Trainset number 260 out of 600 rolled out of Gibela Rail's manufacturing plant, last week.

I was following this project from the days of Skyscrapercity (before I got banned).. I was openly cheering for Gibela Consortium bid because of the design.

I wonder if it was not Zupta-captured like everything at that time.

Lurker4Long:
22 Squadron SAAF at Simon'stown this morning.

Soon needing replacements... I was low-key hoping the DA took the DoD ministerial position at the GNU, these are things that could have been addressed... The current minister is clueless.

SAAF BAE Hawk 120

The Kenyan Quick Reaction Force (KEN QRF 4) and Nepalese Quick Reaction Force (NEP QRF) successfully concluded a joint training exercise in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on October 11, 2024.

The exercise, integrated with Operation Kulinda, involved intensive standby training for air insertion and reinforcement missions. It covered a wide range of operational skills such as ground orientation, foot and vehicle patrolling drills, radio communication, map reading, and navigation. The forces were also trained in Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC), Close Target Reconnaissance (CTR), raids, ambushes, rappelling, and air insertions—skills essential for rapid tactical deployments.

Amid increased security patrols aimed at protecting civilians from hostile forces, the joint training enhances the forces’ ability to coordinate and respond swiftly to emergencies.

https://mod.go.ke/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG-20241012-WA0046-1024x683.jpg

https://mod.go.ke/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG-20241012-WA0048-1024x968.jpg

https://mod.go.ke/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG-20241012-WA0044-scaled.jpg


https://mod.go.ke/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG-20241012-WA0050-1024x683.jpg

GreenandGold:
I was following this project from the days of Skyscrapercity (before I got banned).. I was openly cheering for Gibela Consortium bid because of the design.

I wonder if it was not Zupta-captured like everything at that time.

It wasn't captured, but it was affected:
1) contract was awarded in 2013, with the understanding that setting up the production line would take 2 years;
2) the earmarked funds for this Metro Rail project were diverted to Freight Rail, which corruptly bought Zupta-linked locomotives from China;
3) instead of the 60 train-sets/year -resulting in the 600 in 10 years (2015 - 2025) - now in 2024 we are yet to manufacture number 300.

So, essentially, proper production was delayed till 2018 (when we kicked Zuma out), and the contract will be fulfilled around 2027/8.
I don't need to tell you of the mess at Freight Rail. Zuma undid 10 years of progress under Mbeki and took us back to the mediocrity of the Apartheid years!

GreenandGold:
I was low-key hoping the DA took the DoD ministerial position at the GNU, these are things that could have been addressed... The current minister is clueless.

Wouldn't have changed anything. The budget remains 0.8% of GDP. And National Treasury is entirely correct to say:
-show us you can do a 40(salaries) :30(training&maintenance) :30(R & D and acquisitions) split with the existing budget before we entrust you with more money.

Cabinet is never going to approve the necessary reforms the DA proposes. Which is why DA ministers have been doing the incremental stuff in their individual ministries that they can legislatively do.

The hard work of winning elections vs the soft compromises of coalitions...

Jl115, GreenandGold, I wasn't aware of Trijicon's SA roots!

Trijicon: Four decades of excellence
In the global defence technology industry, Trijicon is a leading innovator, known for producing highly accurate and robust rifle optics. Since being adopted by the United States Marine Corps in 2004, Trijicon’s Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG) has even been featured in over 50 videogames, generating worldwide recognition.

Trijicon’s history goes back to 1981 and starts with company founder Glyn Bindon. Glyn A. J. Bindon was born in 1937 in Pretoria, South Africa and matriculated at Pretoria boys High before emigrating to the United States in the mid-1950s where he received a degree in aeronautical engineering from Parks College in 1958.

Following his graduation, Glyn worked with a small engineering company in New York state where he developed a powerful shock absorber for the tail hook of the Navy’s F-8U Crusader which allowed that aircraft to be used in aircraft carrier operations for the first time. During the 1970s, Glyn moved to Grumman Aerospace as a Cognizant Engineer. In that capacity, he interfaced with NASA during one of the most intense periods of space exploration. He was extremely proud of a valve he designed that was used aboard the lunar module. The valve was called upon to perform far beyond the original design standards during the difficult Apollo13 mission.

In the 1970s, Glyn relocated to Michigan and joined the Ford Motor Company as a product design engineer where his knowledge of fluid dynamics positioned him as a key problem solver in Navistar’s struggle with the unit injectors in its (then) new diesel engine series.

In 1980, Glyn was visiting his family in South Africa and met the developer of the Armson OEG gunsight. The designer was attempting to introduce the OEG sight to the American market. The concept whetted his interest, and upon his return home, Glyn began importing those sights as a sideline business. He named his company Armson, Inc., and the Armson sights were his only product from 1981 until 1985.

The Armson OEG had a similar design to the original Singlepoint red dot, which was first used by American forces in the nighttime 1970 Son Tay raid in Vietnam. The Armson OEG, however, had more robust features and a variety of mounting systems for popular rifles and shotguns.

Glyn made the company’s first US sale with an order for six pieces. Shortly after, came an order for 12 pieces, and the orders kept coming with the Armson OEG becoming available for sale in stores in 1983. At the time, the company was still run out of Glyn’s family home, with assistance from his children.

In 1985, Trijicon introduced the world’s first tritium-reticule riflescope, the Spectrum Riflescope. This was followed with the launch of the world’s first commercially available tritium-illuminated iron sights for handguns, the Bright & Tough Night Sights.

It was at this time that the company considered a name change, and Glyn created the name Trijicon, by combining two words: “Tritium” the key element in the company’s innovative illumination technology, and “icon” meaning a picture or image. The “j” was added to combine both words to form Trijicon, resulting in the “iji” in Trijicon mimicking the “three-dot” design of the Bright & Tough Night Sights.

Glyn would often take apart optical technologies, dissecting and exploring them. A particular pair of binoculars sat disassembled on his work bench for several weeks. Glyn was curious if moving a riflescope’s prism (much like in a pair of binoculars) could make the riflescope more compact. At the time, many scopes on the market were large and bulky. After some experimenting, Glyn found an answer, and revolutionised riflescope technology.

In 1987, Trijicon first introduced their TA01 4×32 ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight), which, using prism sight technology, would go on to be their flagship product. Almost immediately the ACOG was included in the U.S. Army Advanced Combat Rifle programme, the beginning of what would become a life-changing partnership.

Trijicon products saw their first combat use in Operation “Just Cause” in Panama. Users were impressed, and by 1991 Trijicon sights saw extensive use in Operation “Desert Storm”.

Trijicon’s innovation continued with the launch of the ACOG 3.5×35 in 1992, which introduced the Bindon Aiming Concept (BAC). This allows the shooter to track and engage targets faster by utilising an illuminated aiming point, instead of traditional black crosshairs – the BAC is a simple way to shoot illuminated optics with both eyes open. U.S. Navy SEALs began testing the new ACOG 3.5×35 with great fanfare, and the optic was officially adopted by German GSG9 SWAT on SIG 550 rifles.

The ACOG 4×32 riflescope saw massive success in both tests and in combat use, which subsequently lead to the U.S. Special Operations Command purchasing 12,000, choosing the TA01 as their official scope for M4 carbines. This was the first official optic enhancement of the M16 family by the U.S. Military.

As Glyn Bindon and his family grew up hunting, they understood there was a need for accurate riflescopes that could take a beating. In 1998, Trijicon introduced the AccuPoint 3-9×40 dual-illuminated riflescope, specifically with hunters in mind. In 2000, the AccuPoint line expanded with the 1.25-4×24 model riflescope, designed to help safari hunters.

In September 2003, Glyn Bindon, founder of Trijicon, died in a plane crash in Alaska. Glyn would not see his invention grow to be the success it is today, under Stephen Bindon, who continued building his father’s vision.

While it took Trijicon 18 years to produce the first 100,000 ACOG 4×32 riflescopes, it took only 18 months to manufacture the next 100,000. This became possible with the ACOG TA31 RCO, becoming the first-ever official Rifle Combat Optic (RCO) of the US Marine Corps.

The following year, in 2006, the order for 100,000th 4×32 ACOG riflescope was completed, and occurred alongside the release of Trijicon’s new 2.5-10×56 30mm tube AccuPoint variable powered riflescope.

In 2007, Trijicon engineers received feedback from U.S. Special Forces soldiers, who had been modifying their ACOGs by mounting a small red dot sight on the top. This modification allowed for the optic to be used in close quarters and at long range.

Trijicon took note, and later that year launched the Trijicon Red Dot™ Sight, its first-ever miniature reflex-style red dot sight. This was followed by a new ACOG 4×32 which came standard with a doctored red dot sight mounted on top. Trijicon then launched a similar product to the public, the ACOG Enhanced Combat Optical Sight (ECOS).

2007 continued to be a good year, with the U.S. army choosing the Trijicon ACOG 4×32 RCO as its standard field carry optic.

By 2009, Trijicon had produced their 500,000th 4×32 ACOG scope, and the Trijicon RMR was named “Optic of the Year” by Firearms Marketing Group.

In 2015, Trijicon launched the Miniature Rifle Optic (MRO), a red dot sight intended for broad use by military, law enforcement, competition shooters and hunters; built to be used in the harshest of environments. Guns & Ammo awarded the MRO “Optic of the Year.”

Trijicon produced their 1,000,000th ACOG 4×32 riflescope in 2017, and the following year were awarded a contract for the Trijicon VCOG (Variable Combat Optical Gunsight) 1-8×28 riflescope, which became the U.S. Marine Corps’ Squad Common Optic (SCO).

“Our war fighters deserve the very best equipment in defence of our nation. The Marine Corps’ SCO evaluation process was extremely rigorous, and we are honoured that the VCOG was selected to continue the tradition of battle-proven riflescopes that the Trijicon ACOG began in 2004 as the Marine Corps’ first Rifle Combat Optic,” said Stephen Bindon, Trijicon President & CEO.

https://www.defenceweb.co.za/industry/industry-industry/trijicon-four-decades-of-excellence/

KDF

Impressive acquisitions by the Angolans.

CMN proceeding with work on Angolan BR71 Mk II corvettes


French shipyard Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie (CMN) has completed the hull of the first BR71 Mk II corvette for the Angolan Navy, with the other two vessels to be built in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under a technology transfer agreement.

Steel was cut for the first corvette in December 2023 and the hull was laid down in March, with fitting out of the first vessel commencing ahead of delivery in 2026. The other two vessels will be built by Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) and delivered by 2027, with steel for the second vessel to be cut in October. The UAE shipyard previously built five Baynunah sister ships for the Emirati Navy.

In February 2023 Angola signed a 1 billion euro deal with the UAE’s Edge group that will see Edge subsidiary ADSB deliver a fleet of vessels to the Angolan Navy.

The Combattante BR71 Mk II is an advanced variant of the Baynunah class (BR71 design) corvette developed by French shipyard CMN, a part of Privinvest Shipbuilding Group. The vessel is designed for littoral warfare defence operations against air and surface threats, patrolling tasks, law enforcement and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

It has a crew of 50 and maximum speed of 30 knots, with range of 2 500 nautical miles at 12 knots. Four MTU engines drive two steering and two booster water-jets. It can accommodate a 5 ton class helicopter on a rear deck and two six metre RHIBs. According to Mer et Marine, the Angolan BR71 Mk IIs will be fitted with eight Exocet MM40 anti-ship missiles, a VL Mica surface-to-air missile system, and a Simbad-RC short-range air defence system, along with a 76 mm gun turret supplied by Leonardo. French company Lacroix will supply anti-missile decoy systems.

Operating from a 330 000 square metre shipyard in Abu Dhabi, ADSB builds corvettes, offshore patrol vessels and fast patrol boats for military customers, and commercial vessels for the oil services industry. The company also offers a full range of maintenance, repair and refit, upgrade and conversion, as well as design and engineering consultancy services. ADSB has built half a dozen Baynunah class corvettes for the UAE Navy, with the lead ship constructed in France by CMN.

It is not clear if the BR71 Mk II contract follows on from a 495 million euro 2016 contact between Angola and Privinvest that was to see the establishment of a shipyard in Angola and the supply of several naval vessels. It is believed the 2016 deal was scaled back significantly following pressure from the International Monetary Fund.

In addition to the BR71 Mk IIs, Mer et Marine reported that the Angolan Navy has also ordered three 43 metre long Ocean Eagle trimaran patrol boats from CMN, and two 70 metre long LCT 200-70 tank landing craft. The first Ocean Eagle was delivered in November 2022 and the first LCT in mid-2023. The second LCT was launched in March and should be delivered in early 2025. Construction of the other two Ocean Eagles is underway at the Exail shipyard as production has been subcontracted there.

EDR magazine reported that the 1 billion euro Angolan deal also includes five 16 metre long 160 Sea Keeper cargo and transport vessels and six 12 metre long 120 Fast In-shore Platforms. A five-year Integrated Logistic Support and Integrated Service Support package is also included, as well as six HT-100 VTOL unmanned aerial systems, produced by Anavia of Switzerland of which Edge acquired the majority shares in November 2023, two of which will be embarked on each BR71 Mk II corvette.

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Angolan corvette contract included an export-credit financing package to help Angola finance the acquisition.

CMN previously supplied three HSI 32 patrol craft to Angola, with deliveries in 2019.
https://www.defenceweb.co.za/featured/cmn-proceeding-with-work-on-angolan-br71-mk-ii-corvettes/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZjPJPIUCKo?si=-83NhubotIqRPh3e

IMHO the best way to fight this gangs is FPV drones. They can't afford jammers. It will quickly kill them off.

Kenya can easily get them from China.

Kdf f5
old but still looks good

Citizen TV journalist embedded with Kenya SOF

Is that a grenade launcher mounted on the technical as the main gun

From the above photo WTF!

Off-topic

GreenandGold:
It seems like your Eastern Cape hike is going to be postponed... It's not slowing down.

And, finally!

P.S. Odunayaw, a week all on terra firma, with only pools, streams, agricultural dams and bridged rivers for the water you so love!

Interesting...and economics is a military/security issue...
1) the best situation is to have domestically held debt in your own currency;
2) the middling/second best is to have high levels of debts to foreigners in your own currency; and
3) the worst situation is to have high levels of debt in foreign denominated currency.