Gaps in the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) radar net are reportedly the newest addition to the “broken, damaged or unusable” list of equipment putting security under threat, a National Assembly (NA) parliamentarian warns.
“Reported radar system failures at key strategic sites leave South Africa exposed,” Chris Hattingh, Democratic Alliance (DA) defence and military veterans spokesman said in a statement issued after what he said were “credible reports” of the failures.
Radar sites at SA Air Force (SAAF) bases Langebaanweg, Overberg (both in the Western Cape) and Makhado in Limpopo province are, according to him, operating without radar approach systems due to equipment failures and a lack of financial resources. “The radar systems are essential for maintaining South Africa’s control over its airspace.”
And it’s not only airspace integrity at risk – “the situation is equally dire at sea” Hattingh said.
The absence of functioning radar, according to him, significantly weakens South Africa’s ability to detect unauthorised aircraft, drones and potential hostile incursions. “It also compromises aviation safety and limits our armed forces’ capacity to respond effectively to airspace threats”.
“Without proper radar systems our pilots are forced to fly with limited situational awareness, putting personnel and operations at risk.”
He has it further South Africa’s maritime surveillance and patrol capabilities have collapsed leaving large areas of coastal waters unmonitored.
“This opens the door to illegal activities, such as smuggling, piracy and illegal fishing. The reduced SA Navy (SAN) fleet and outdated surveillance systems further erode our ability to protect marine resources and enforce territorial sovereignty.
“The decline of South Africa’s defence posture, both in the air and at sea, is undeniable,” he adds, saying it is symptomatic of a broader decline in the SANDF, where “air, ground and naval forces have been weakened by budget cuts, political neglect, and poor maintenance”.
A call to Minister Angie Motshekga to urgently address “these lapses in national security” will be supported by Parliamentary questions. “We need to fully understand the extent of the radar and surveillance failures as well as details on plans to restore operational readiness,” Hattingh said.
African Defence Review Director Darren Olivier noted that the South African Air Force has had a registered project on the SANDF’s Strategic Capital Acquisition Master Plan (SCAMP) for almost two decades (now called Project Chutney) to replace its outdated radar network, but “after too many budget cuts to be viable it was halted.”
Looking at the Air Force’s command and control, Olivier explained that Global Command and Control Technologies’ (GC2T’s) Air Picture Display System (APDS) is its primary command and control (C2) system, with installations at the Bushveld Airspace Control Centre at Air Force Headquarters, the Lowveld Airspace Control Centre at Air Force Base Hoedspruit, and mobile control centres.
The SAAF’s APDS system receives aircraft data from both the SAAF’s radar network, mostly a few old AR-3D radars, as well as the civilian radar network operated by Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS). It can also receive real-time radar feeds from other platforms like the SAAF’s Gripen fighters. The data is further enriched by data from the SAAF’s Ground Command and Control System (GCCS) which manages flights and flight planning, and the Current Intelligence System (CURIS) which contains intelligence-related data on foreign platforms.
“However, all three of these systems, APDS, GCCS, and CURIS are badly out of date even though they’ve received some updates,” Olivier warned. “That the country’s leadership over the past twenty years have not considered any of these upgrades a serious priority is emblematic of the way in which they have allowed the SANDF to decline through funding cuts, neglect, non-strategic thinking, and carelessness,” he said.
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