Large fires burning on the Heuningberg Mountain above Bredasdorp in the Southern Cape. A #SAAF Oryx of 22 Squadron has just departed AFB Ysterplaat to assist with aerial firefighting efforts.

Airlink’s daily flights between Johannesburg and Maseru will resume tomorrow morning (Fri 07 Nov 2025). This follows confirmation by the Lesotho authorities that suitable fire and rescue equipment has been sourced for Moshoeshoe I International Airport.

Airlink has suspended daily flights between Johannesburg and Maseru due to the lack of serviceable fire and rescue equipment at Moshoeshoe I International Airport. Normal sevices will resume as soon as the airport operator has restored the regulated emergency response capability.

SAAF CL-13B Sabre Mk 6 372, painted in the colours of a F-86F-30 Sabre 601 used by 2 Squadron, SAAF, during the Korean War. SAAF Museum, AFB Ysterplaat, Cape Town.

100% with Dean here. Restoring the C47-TPs to flight was never going to be a real solution anyway, and South Africa’s maritime patrol and search & rescue requirements demand an extremely long-range and capable type or set of types. It won’t be cheap, but neither is not having maritime control.

Sad news for the SAAF's C47-TP TurboDaks. Despite efforts to get them flying again, looks like a decision has been made that they will not fly again. We need a dignified retreat parade and a funded replacement project. The blue water economy is too important to ignore. 1/

After years of grounding & delays, the SAAF's fleet of 8 Cessna 208 Caravans are finally undergoing it's long awaited avionics upgrade. The Caravans are early production examples, requiring extensive work, so they're being upgraded 1 at a time. The sole PC-12 is also undergoing maintenance.

Lots of comment about a #SANDF "Ratel" at the Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Afrikaans Boys High School - Affies) matric farewell party. It is not a Ratel and it is not a SANDF vehicle. It is a privately owned Jorsin Tau 4×4 IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) prototype. Looks great!

Excellent interview by Dean on the controversy over the South African LIDAR/rangefinder discovered on a Russian drone. Dean, like me, assesses that the part is likely commercial only, and neither military nor dual-use, and therefore isn’t subject to any export controls.

I was on Power FM the other night, discussing the use of South African technology found in Russian drones used to attack Ukraine. omny.fm/shows/power-...

At the GICA 2025 October Conference in Cape Town, South Africa. Co-sponsored by @defenceWeb_Afr. Building defence & industrial capacity through strategic collaboration. Looking forward to 2 days of presentations & panel discussions on growing collaboration in defence.

Anecdotally, there seems to be an uptick in #SAAF availability rates recently. The various aircraft may not be fully operational, but at least they're flying. Tonight, two transport aircraft are conducting night training from AFB Waterkloof.

They arrived safely at AFB Waterkloof, then after clearing formalities, hopped over to Swartop (AF MDW) after long and tiring flight. Welcome home!

Three SAAF Oryx helicopters in Livingstone, Zambia today, on their way home to South Africa! The three, 1 ex-UN MONUSCO and 2 from the SANDF support contingent, departed Lubumbashi, DRC and are scheduled to arrive at AFB Waterkloof. The remaining 2 Oryx will be airlifted back.

SAMIDRC update: On 2 Oct, Chief SANDF Gen Maphwanya received a call from the Force Commander that they've finally secured the signature of the SADC Secretariat, back loading will be finalised in the next few weeks. As a reminder... /1

AFB Ysterplaat hosted the Chief SANDF Medal Parade today. TurboDak 6825 of 35 Sqn was very pleased with itself to be the main background! 😀 6887 provided support. Good to have two PC-7 MK IIs perform a flypast and a Super Lynx was also in attendance.

Increase in Aircraft Activity Around AFB Waterkloof There is an increase in aircraft activity and noise in the Gauteng area. This is in preparation for the upcoming G20 Summit in November this year. Please keep an eye on your pets.

AFB Ysterplaat today: Change of Command Parade for 35 Squadron OC Col Tamara Thomas-Herwels outgoing & Lt Col Pieter Scherer incoming, and Acceptance of Command Parade for 505 Squadron OC Lt Col David Magwayi incoming. Congratulations on your new appointments!

South African Air Force (SAAF) Boeing 737-7ED BBJ ZS-RSA (Inkwazi), carrying Pres Ramaphosa, on its way to New York for the UN General Assembly. Call sign LMG1.

The SA Navy Submarine Squadron Memorial Site at the SAS Assegaai Submarine Museum in Simon's Town,Cape Town, will be unveiled this Sat, 20 Sep. It will serve as a permanent tribute to all submariners who have died in service.

Il-76 on charter to the SAAF flying south, possibly carrying cargo from Lubumbashi to South Africa. A Cobra Aviation Boeing 737 with a SAAF callsign departed SA for the DRC at midday today. Seems a SANDF repatriation is on the go.

Weekend inspiration: #SAAF Oryx medium-lift helicopter sortie in the Drakensberg mountains.

Two Zimbabwe Air Force pilots died in a training crash on 10 Sep. The jet went down shortly after take-off during a training sortie from the Josiah Magama Tongogara airbase in Gweru. Whilst the type of aircraft is unconfirmed, it could be a Hongdu K-8 Karakorum. RIP aviators.

South African Minister of Defence, Angie Motshekga, will attend the Seoul Defence Dialogue 2025 (SDD2025), from 8 to 10 September 2025 in Seoul, Republic of Korea. She will also participate in the 75th Anniversary Commemoration of the United Nations (UN) Command.

BRICS is and was never intended to be a military alliance, but an economic grouping. It seems to be morphing into something very political and Iran is very happy to keep South Africa in the spotlight. en.mehrnews.com/news/236161/...

The joint maritime exercise between South Africa, China and Russia (aka EX MOSI) has been long planned to take place in SA in Nov. So has the G20 summit. SANDF has only just woken up to the rather embarrassing fact that the two should not happen at the same time. Oh, the optics!

I'm hoping the SANDF turns up at the correct venue (*Air Force Mobile Deployment Wing (Swartkop)*) for the Parade scheduled for *today* (29 August 2025).

Not to be outdone, 22 Squadron at AFB Ysterplaat in the Cape also got in the action! Both the Oryx and the Super Lynx conducted training today. 😀

The latest #SAAF squadrons to play around Dragons Peak, Drakensberg mountains, are 15 and 17 Squadrons. Seems like they are having fun with the Oryx and A109. 😎

In a video on social media of two apprehended men suspected of a weapons-related crime, one claims that the weapons were stolen from the SA Navy. The SA Navy has clarified that no weapons have been stolen from any of its units, but may relate to a theft case at the Inst for Maritime Technology.

#SAAF mountain flying phase in the Drakensberg mountains this weekend, for the Command Course students. 1 x Oryx, 1 x A109 and 2 x BK117 from 87 HFS and 15 Squadron 'C' Flight.

Still life left in the old Lady! Despite not having flown for three years, reports that the C47-TP Turbo Dakota being retired from the South African Air Force (SAAF) service appear to be greatly exaggerated as they may be returned to service. www.defenceweb.co.za/aerospace/ae...

Just yesterday four ground runs were performed on the Oryxes at Lubumbashi. Three are in perfect condition, one Oryx just has an engine issue. 🚁😎 They are not abandoned.

The Dept of Defence has issued another statement on Gen Maphwanya's visit and statements in Iran. Not sure what is being said? It does not deny what he was reported to have said, only that Iran disclosed it? So it was OK to engage in political policy, just not to report on it?

Worth listening to the good Profs comments. The US has asked SA for its policy clarification on Iran following SANDF Chief Rudzani Maphwanya's comments during his trip. Prof Abel Esterhuyse says Maphwanya's Iran visit is conveying a political message. youtu.be/NqtrPPgXdZk?...

Five SANDF Oryx helicopters are expected to remain in the DRC indefinitely, with funding shortages preventing repairs, including engine replacements. Defence analyst Dean Wingrin shares insights on the implications for the military’s operational capacity. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNgL...

General Maphwanya's mission in Iran www.politicsweb.co.za/opinion/gene...

Chief SANDF "comments have not gone down well in Pretoria, with the Presidency and the DIRCO issuing a sharp rebuke of Maphwanya for overstepping his role." President will meet with Maphwanya in the next few weeks. Will be an uncomfortable flight home, even if in Business class.

For once, I agree with Redi. Is anybody home? Redi Tlhabi on why the South African Army Chief’s Iran visit is a diplomatic disaster in the making youtu.be/imSZhR7TFgs?...

Now the Min of Defence acknowledging that a line may have been overstepped.

DIRCO coming out strongly against the statements attributed to General Rudzani Maphwanya, Chief of the South African National Defence Force, during his visit to Iran. This confirms what many of us has suspected, that the DOD & SANDF didn’t clear or coordinate it with DIRCO.

DIRCO Media Statement, supporting my views below.

Disturbing that the South African military is playing politics, with SANDF pledging "military and political alignment with the Iranians." This high profile trip to Iran, at a sensitive stage of negotiations with the US, must be approved by the President? www.citizen.co.za/news/south-a...

The wildlife of AFB Ysterplaat, Cape Town. ❤️

Seems MK Party forgot that it was the USSR that supported the liberation movements, both Russia and Ukraine hosted and supported the training of liberation movement members, including those from (the ANC) MK. www.citizen.co.za/news/south-a...

Good news for SAAF firefighters who lost their allowances due to a policy change in 2022. Judgement just out: New policy declared unlawful as it wasn’t negotiated with Sandu union in Military Bargaining Council (MBC). Minister directed to back pay and to negotiate in the MBC.

The ageing of SANDF: Equipment and budget constraints are critical issues @AfricaMelane of @CapeTalk is joined by Dean Wingrin, aviation and defence analyst, to unpack whether SANDF is still fit for service, considering equipment and budget constraints. www.primediaplus.com/the-ageing-o...

Too old to fight, too broke to fix: The SANDF’s march to mediocrity | News24 If the SANDF is to reclaim credibility, both political and military elites must step aside from self-preservation, and lead with vision, accountability and purpose, writes Dean Wingrin. www.news24.com/opinions/fri...

This morning, the SA Navy held a Change of Command Parade for SAS King Sekhukhune I, the first of three new multi-mission inshore patrol vessels. Cdr Lelethu Bixa took over command from Cdr Jabulani Mashamba, the vessels first OC. Wishing Cdr Bixa fair winds and following seas!

Armscor is the acquisition agency for the SANDF, responsible for procurement and contracting. However, the SANDF has been complaining about the level of service received, impacting operational readiness. So, what are the complaints? A🧵 /1