The South African Air Force (SAAF) is facing a severe operational crisis, with aircraft availability at critically low levels across all divisions. A recent assessment covering the six-month period from September 2024 to March 2025, which defenceWeb has seen, lays bare the extent to which underfunding, maintenance backlogs, and spare part shortages have compromised the force’s readiness.
These issues, compounded by a shrinking defence budget, threaten both domestic security and international obligations.
Aircraft availability is determined based on policy strength, which refers to the number of airframes allocated to a squadron to ensure operational readiness. This figure accounts for maintenance cycles, training needs, and mission requirements. It is vital to note that current policy strength is low to begin with, as current funding does not allow for policy strength to fund full capabilities.
The latest report, which states average availability over six months, reveals that the number of aircraft deemed serviceable falls far below these policy requirements, leaving the SAAF unable to sustain operations effectively.
Helicopter systems, which are crucial for tactical transport, search and rescue, and combat support, are among the worst affected. The Oryx fleet has suffered extensive maintenance delays, with availability ranging from zero to just 44 percent, meaning only 4 out of 13 aircraft are operational, while the fleet consists of 37 total airframes, after two were written off after crashing. Many remain grounded due to overdue servicing or a lack of spare parts.
The A109 light utility helicopter is in a similarly poor state, with some squadrons reporting no operational airframes, resulting in an availability rate of just 11.5 percent (1 out of 9 aircraft, while the fleet stands at 24, excluding 6 airframes involved in accidents).
A rotary wing pilot from the SAAF, who spoke to defenceWeb on the condition of anonymity, noted that operational readiness varies greatly, and is largely dependant on the day. On Tuesday 25 March, two A109 helicopters flew in Durban, and a third underwent a test flight, along with an Oryx, giving an indication of how serviceability changes from day to day.
The Rooivalk attack helicopter, a key asset for combat missions, is currently only 30 percent available, with 2 out of the available 6 helicopters in operation, largely due to aircrew currency issues. The entire Rooivalk fleet is only 11 airframes.
The Rooivalk, in particular, represents a critical capability at risk of being permanently lost if an upgrade programme is not implemented soon. Originally designed for anti-armour and close air support roles, it remains South Africa’s primary dedicated attack helicopter. However, with no significant upgrades since its introduction 25 years ago, and only a small fleet in operation, the platform is now at a crossroads. Spare parts are becoming increasingly scarce, and the avionics, weapon sights, and self-protection systems have reached obsolescence. If an upgrade is not pursued, the aircraft will eventually become unsustainable, rendering the SAAF without an indigenous attack helicopter capability.
A modernisation programme for the Rooivalk is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Without it, the fleet will continue to degrade, and South Africa will lose the ability to deploy attack helicopters for key missions, including peacekeeping operations, counterinsurgency, domestic defence, and survivability over the modern battlefield. The limited number of operational Rooivalk helicopters already constrains mission flexibility, and without intervention, the SAAF will soon find itself unable to field any viable attack helicopter force.
In the transport and maritime sector, the situation is no better. The C-130 Hercules, essential for strategic and tactical airlift and humanitarian operations, is entirely unavailable, with 0 out of 5 aircraft operational, exacerbating logistical difficulties. The C-130 is also the only aircraft available that is able to support South Africa’s international obligations for Search & Rescue (SAR) in South Africa’s huge maritime and aeronautical SAR area of responsibility.
C-130 tail number 401, the oldest of the fleet, originally acquired in 1963, has undertaken several test flights from Waterkloof Air Force Base throughout March, but is not fully operational.
The C-208 and PC-12 aircraft are awaiting servicing, while the Boeing 737 BBJ and Falcon 900, typically used for high-priority government and military transport, remain operational but with limited availability, with only one of each aircraft in service. The two FA-50 aircraft are some of the few exceptions, maintaining a relatively high serviceability rate of 97 percent, though this does little to offset the shortfall in other fleets.
Combat aircraft have fared somewhat better, with the Gripen fleet achieving 54 percent availability (policy is for two aircraft) and the Hawk fleet 71 percent (policy of four aircraft), however, combat readiness varies. These figures are below the ideal operational readiness levels needed for sustained combat operations and pilot training, and again prove the decision to maintain lower levels of readiness due to funding shortfalls.
The report further states there are currently 13 Gripen airframes available and serviceable, under a contract that expires in August 2025. The Hawk fleet is also under a service contract for 12 air frames, until 2029. A total of 26 Gripens and 24 Hawks were originally acquired. One Gripen has been written off and two Hawks damaged in accidents.
Training aircraft availability is particularly concerning, with the Astra (PC-7 Mk II) fleet at the Central Flying School operating at just 9 percent (2 out of 35 upgraded airframes). This shortage of training aircraft threatens the future pipeline of qualified pilots, further weakening the SAAF’s long-term sustainability.
Externally deployed aircraft, particularly Oryx helicopters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), are also suffering from major spare part shortages. Only 33 percent of the deployed fleet is currently operational, with just 1 out of 3 helicopters available, significantly impacting South Africa’s peacekeeping commitments. Two Oryx were flown to Entebbe, Uganda, for servicing. A further two Oryx were recently flown to Entebbe to cover for the two DRC examples undergoing servicing. A fifth Oryx (1247) is currently stuck at Goma Airport, having been hit by rebel ground fire while en route to Goma airport on 2 February 2024.
The underlying cause of these capability shortfalls is chronic underfunding, which has plagued the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) for over a decade. According to defence analyst Dean Wingrin, the SANDF has suffered severe budget cuts over the past 15 years, leading to maintenance backlogs, depleted stock levels, and an inability to carry out essential mid-life upgrades. “The SAAF itself has received only a 3.9 percent budget increase to R17.7 billion, which remains below the inflation rate. As a result, even with this nominal increase, the SAAF will not be able to maintain spending parity in the coming financial year,” said Wingrin. Further, he added that “compounding this issue is the fact that military inflation is significantly higher than general inflation, further eroding the real purchasing power of the defence budget.”
Wingrin further explains that while South Africa’s National Defence Policy, as outlined in the 2015 Defence Review, provided a clear framework for military capability development, it was predicated on sustained and adequate funding. Despite receiving Cabinet approval and Parliamentary endorsement, this funding never materialised, leaving the SANDF severely weakened. The defence industry has also suffered, with the decline of Denel and other key contractors contributing to further degradation in maintenance and procurement capabilities.
Since the adoption of the Defence Review in the 2016/17 financial year, the SANDF has experienced baseline budget cuts totalling R39.4 billion. Adjusting for inflation, this represents a staggering R41.58 billion reduction in real terms. Wingrin highlights that “the 2021 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) saw an especially drastic cut to the Department of Defence (DoD) budget, resulting in delays to short-term maintenance contracts, reduced stock levels, and the inability to upgrade key military assets. The effects of these cuts are now evident in the SAAF’s declining capability across all operational platforms.”
The recently released DoD budget for 2025/26 stands at R55.94 billion, a nominal increase of just 0.78 percent from the 2024/25 adjusted budget. However, after accounting for an inflation rate of 4.4 percent, this translates to an effective budget reduction of approximately 3.47 percent in real terms. “Given that military inflation is even higher, the true impact is likely to be even greater, further eroding the SANDF’s ability to maintain or improve its operational readiness,” said Wingrin.
The SAAF’s workshop capabilities have also been severely impacted by budget constraints. Maintenance facilities across multiple Air Servicing Units are in a state of decline due to financial shortfalls, forcing the air force to rely more on outsourced services. This not only increases costs but also deprives in-house technical personnel of the necessary experience to carry out complex maintenance tasks, further compounding the long-term capability crisis.
The leadership of the SAAF has acknowledged the severity of these challenges and has proposed urgent measures to address the crisis. However, without immediate and sustained investment in aircraft maintenance, spare parts procurement, and personnel training, the SAAF’s ability to fulfil its obligations—both domestically and internationally—will remain at risk. As the situation stands, the continued erosion of South Africa’s air defence capability could have far-reaching consequences for national security and regional stability.
These consequences were in the public spotlight this week following a News24 report that only six out of 330 SAAF aircraft were operational. However, the SAAF only has 199 aircraft in its inventory, and as can be seen from the above, more than six are operational at present.
According to African Defence Review Director Darren Olivier, “the actual number of aircraft in the SAAF’s operational fleet, meaning those on books of any particular flying squadron, not assigned to the museum, and not up for disposal, is around 150-200, including some that have been placed in storage but not yet fully withdrawn.”
No squadron ever has 100% of its aircraft operational for any sustained period of time, and average SAAF serviceability ranges from 15-20% a year, Olivier said.
Olivier noted that SA Department of Defence spokesperson, Siphiwe Dlamini, got key facts wrong in an interview this week on the state of the SAAF. “As one example, he claimed the SA Air Force had ‘well over 10’ C-130s with 3 airworthy, in reality it only has 6 still on the books with only 1 semi-airworthy.”
