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18 avril 2013 4 18 /04 /avril /2013 16:09

US military aid supports SAAF C-130s

US military aid supports SAAF C-130s

18 April 2013 by Guy Martin - defenceWeb

The military aid that South Africa receives from the United States every year largely goes towards supporting the Air Force’s fleet of nine C-130 Hercules aircraft.

According to an official from the US military’s Africa Command (Africom), most of the $750 000 per year of the US government’s Foreign Military Financing (FMF) grant money is used to support Hercules aircraft, and includes things like buying spares and providing aircrew training. Aircrew use simulators in the United States to practice emergency procedures that would be too risky with real aircraft.

In 2010 and 2011 South Africa was scheduled to receive $800 000 in Foreign Military Financing, according to the US Department of State. Foreign Military Financing to South Africa topped out at around $1 million but now stands at around $750 000 per annum, according to the Africom official.

Other foreign military financing goes towards the South African Navy - money goes towards an adaptor on a submarine hatch collar, the official said.

In addition to Foreign Military Financing, the SAAF has also benefitted from excess defence articles, which are received at a fraction of the original cost. The SAAF took delivery of seven new C-130B Hercules in 1963, of which six remain in use. Three ex-US Navy C-130F aircraft were acquired in 1996, with a further two ex-US Air Force C-130Bs delivered in 1998, all under the United States Excess Defence Articles Programme. The F models were retired shortly after delivery, but the nine C-130Bs were upgraded and modernised between 1996 to 2009 to the C-130BZ configuration, incorporating a modern glass cockpit.

The South African Air Force has nine C-130s in its inventory, with an average of three flying at any one time and the rest undergoing maintenance and checks.

The US FMF programme provides grants and loans to assist foreign nations in purchasing US-made weapons, defence articles, services and military training. US Congress appropriates FMF funds in the International Affairs Budget, while the Department of State allocates the funds for eligible friends and allies, and the Department of Defence executes the programme.

The FMF programme in Africa has grown from $16 million in fiscal year 2008 to $45 million in fiscal year 2011. Approximately 18 nations receive grants through the FMF program. In FY2011, the largest benefitting country in the Africom area of responsibility was Tunisia with an allocation of $17 million, followed by Morocco with $9 million and Liberia with $7 million.

The countries within the AFRICOM area of responsibility that receive FMF include: Botswana, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda.

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4 octobre 2011 2 04 /10 /octobre /2011 12:00

Small investment could see SAAF C130 fly to 2030

http://www.defenceweb.co.za/images/stories/AIR/Air_new/c130_za4_400x300.JPG

 

03 October 2011 by defenceWeb

 

A small investment could extend the lifetime of the South African Air Force's small and venerable fleet of Lockheed Martin C130BZ Hercules medium transports until about 2030. That's the view of C130 life extension programme project officer Brigadier General (Retired) Piet van Zyl.

 

Addressing a media briefing Friday he said the replacement cost of each aircraft was some US$142 million (R1.067 billion) based on the average sales price of the C130J over the last eight years. To replace the seven SAAF C-130BZ aircraft will cost R7.470 billion, he said.

 

But with an investment of 3.30% of its replacement value, the SAAF safely extended the service life of its C130BZ fleet to 2020. For another 4.70% of replacement value the fleet service life may be extended to 2030.

 

The SAAF C-130 fleet consists of seven platforms (401 - 407) purchased in 1962-3 before a US arms embargo was imposed on South Africa's apartheid government and five received in 1997/8 from the US (two ex-United States Air Force C-130B's – 408 and 409 – and three ex-US Navy C-130F's – 410 to 412 as part of their Excess Defence Articles programme. The two ex-US C-130B 's and a C-130F (411) were subsequently put in service, but the C-130F was retired soon thereafter.

 

Van Zyl says only minor upgrades implemented between 1963 and 1995. The most significant of these was a centre wing replacement and outer wing refurbishment from 1969 to 1972 done under the auspices of Lockheed, an engine upgrade (from Allison T56-A-7 to T56-A-15) during the early 1970s and a basic avionic upgrade during the early 1980s.

 

A comprehensive avionics upgrade – Project Ebb - was launched in 1996 and completed in July 2010, the aircraft afterwards receiving the SAAF-unique BZ annotation. Van Zyl adds the SAAF C-130BZ aircraft are now equipped with the latest avionics technology, which has dramatically increased the operational capability of the fleet.

 

As a consequence, the fleet has visited 15 countries and flown 680 hours between April 1 and September 26 this year. But the higher operational flying rate has resulted in more failures by some sub-systems that have become unreliable due to age and original marginal design. A partnering with Denel Aviation to do deeper level maintenance and overhaul at AFB Waterkloof through a combined Maintenance and Repair Organisation (MRO) has reduced turnaround time on minor services from an average of 182 days to 84 days, a 53% reduction in down-time, Van Zyl added.

 

“Squadron personnel can now concentrate on flight line availability, which has greatly improved turn-around time,” he adds, saying the average number of mission ready aircraft now stands at 4.1 per day, “even peaking at 5 aircraft for short periods”, from a previous maximum of 2.5 aircraft per day.

 

Van Zyl sought to assure his audience it would be safe to fly the aircraft. He says a detailed engineering study conducted recently to determine the remaining service life of the fleet, found

all seven SAAF C-130BZ aircraft can safely fly to 2020 provided that the most critical obsolescence issues can be resolved – this including the aircraft's pressurisation system, air conditioning and GTC. To fly to 2030, the aircrafts' engines will need serious attention by 2022.

The SAAF C-130BZ fleet has to date only used – on average – 65% of their assigned wing life. The aircraft with the most flying time on the log has flown some 14 000 hours, while many other C130s and L100s (the civil version) have clocked up over 100 000 hours. Van Zyl says most C130 owners as a consequence of this long-livity plan to fly them indefinitely.

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19 juillet 2011 2 19 /07 /juillet /2011 19:10

More money to keep Hercules flying

http://www.defenceweb.co.za/images/stories/AIR/Air_new/c130-saaf-paradrop-youngeagle2011.JPG

 

18 July 2011 by defenceWeb

 

The South African Air Force (SAAF) has upped its bill to keep the venerable Lockheed Martin C130BZ flying by another R23.769 million. The SAAF last week awarded Denel Aviation an extension of an existing contract to provide product support services for the aging aircraft.

 

The SAAF C-130 fleet consists of seven platforms (401 - 407) purchased in 1963 before a US arms embargo was imposed on South Africa's apartheid government and five received in 1997/8 from the US (two ex-United States Air Force C-130B's – 408 and 409 – and three ex-US Navy C-130F's – 410 to 412 as part of their Excess Defence Articles programme. The two ex-US C-130B 's and a C-130F (411) were subsequently put in service, but the C-130F was retired soon thereafter.

 

Various modifications have been accomplished on the original SAAF aircraft, the most significant being a centre wing replacement and outer wing refurbishment from 1969 to 1972 done under the auspices of Lockheed, an engine upgrade (from Allison T56-A-7 to T56-A-15) during the early 1970s and a basic avionic upgrade during the early 1980s.

 

The two ex-USAF C-130B's had already been modified with the fitment of H-model outer wings and a centre wing similar to that of the other SAAF aircraft. The fleet underwent a major refit from December 1996, when Marshall Aerospace of Cambridge in the UK and Denel was contracted to upgrade the aircraft as part of Project Ebb, fitting inter alia digital avionics in the place of the electromechanical. The upgrade was not without delay and infighting between Marshalls and Denel and ran seven years past its expected date of completion, set for June 2002: the project wrapped up as late as July 2009.

 

Aircraft 402's brakes caught fire during a landing after a test flight in early 2005 at the then-Johannesburg International Airport. Damage estimated in the millions of rand was inflicted on the aircraft and an equally damaging dispute then erupted between Denel and Marshalls as to whom had to carry the cost of the repairs. It is unclear why the taxpayer paid the R6 579 134 for the repair as well as a further R3 686 241.08 for hangarage at Denel Aviation before and during the repair.

Another aircraft was also damaged while undergoing testing after upgrading - its fuel tanks were over-pressurised.

 

Seven of the nine were grounded in 2005 on the recommendation of the manufacturer after metal fatigue was discovered on the main spars and outer wing structures of several US C130Bs. As part of this the outer wings of aircraft 407 were removed. Lockheed Martin subsequently allowed three aircraft to resume flying, but in May 2006 the remaining four underwent a further battery of tests.

 

According to the Armscor Bulletin System, the cost of keeping the Hercules flying – fuel and crew excluded - now stands at at least R213 812 679 since early 2007 in addition to some a minimum of R3 686 241.08 charged in hangarage for the damaged aircraft #402 from 2005 until last year.

 

Product support services for the Hercules C130 aircraft - extension of ELGS/2003/553

LGS/S2011/4782 14 Jul 2011 R23 769 819,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

LGS/S2010/4663 17 Mar 2011 R9 500 000,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

LGS/S2010/4528 18 Nov 2010 R10 404 045,14 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Aerospace Group

LGS/S2010/4505 22 Sep 2010 R9 812 323,86 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Aerospace Group

LGS/S2009/4242 10 Mar 2010 R39 377 194,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

LGS/S2009/4139 8 Oct 2009 R9 500 000,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

LGS/S2008/3933 26 Mar 2009 R485 607,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

 

Provision of materiel supply support services for the South African Air Force C130B aircraft

ELGS/2010/199 9 Dec 2010 R90 000 000,00 Tau Aerospace (Pty) Ltd

 

Service, rectification and engineering support during recovery of the SAAF C-130BZ aircraft 402 - extension of EVLI/2007/378

VLI/S2010/1811 21 Jul 2010 R22 028,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

VLI/S2010/1797 13 Jul 2010 R200 000,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

VLI/S2008/1746 28 May 2009 R1 075 583,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

 

Hangarage of Project EBB C130Bz Aircraft 402 - Extension of ELGS/2005/413

LGS/S2009/1781 12 Jan 2010 R393 595,92 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

VLI/S2009/1774 29 Oct 2009 R655 993,20 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

LGS/S2009/1763 21 May 2009 R511 852,86 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

VLI/S2008/1726 26 Jun 2008 R523 008,61 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

LGS/S2007/1679 2 Aug 2007 R1 601 790,49 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

 

Interim support for the SA Air Force C-130 BZ avionic system - extension of EVLI/2006/228

VLI/S2008/1743 11 Dec 2008 R2 000 000,00 Thales Division Aeronautique

VLI/S2007/1711 4 Sep 2008 R2 877 253,20 Thales Division Aeronautique

VLI/S2007/1673 28 Jun 2007 R990 236,00 Thales Division Aeronautique

 

Pyrotechnic fire extinguisher cartridges for the SAAF transport aircraft

EDWU/2008/190 9 Oct 2008 R97 414,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a PMP

 

Service, rectification and engineering support during the recovery of SAAF C-130BZ Aircraft 402

EVLI/2007/378 29 May 2008 R5 281 523,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

 

Repair of 59 line replacement units - extension of EVLI/2003/680

VLI/S2008/1731 10 Jul 2008 R502 276,90 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

VLI/S2007/1709 15 May 2008 R18 415,35 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

VLI/S2007/1663 11 May 2007 R1 500 000,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Aerospace Group

 

Power cartridges for SA Air Force transport aircraft 2007/2008

EDWU/2007/126 23 Aug 2007 R172 316,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a PMP

 

Interim support of the South African Air Force''s C-130 BZ avionic system (Thales Avionics Top Deck)

EVLI/2006/228 12 Apr 2007 R6 075 607,56 Thales Division Aeronautique

 

Fire extinguisher cartridges for SAAF transport aircraft

EDWU/2006/505 9 Feb 2007 R151 037,10 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a PMP

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25 mars 2011 5 25 /03 /mars /2011 19:45

SAAF : More money to keep Hercules flying

 

 

25 March 2011  by defenceWeb

 

 

The South African Air Force (SAAF) has upped its bill to keep the venerable Lockheed Martin C130BZ flying by another R9.5 million. The SAAF last week awarded Denel Aviation an extension of an existing contract to provide product support services for the aging aircraft. The SAAF C-130 fleet consists of seven platforms (401 - 407) purchased in 1963 before a US arms embargo was imposed on South Africa's apartheid government and five received in 1997/8 from the US (two ex-United States Air Force C-130B's – 408 and 409 – and three ex-US Navy C-130F's – 410 to 412 as part of their Excess Defence Articles programme. The two ex-US C-130B 's and a C-130F (411) were subsequently put in service, but the C-130F was retired soon thereafter.

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