SAAF returns its Oryx helicopters from the DRC

Three South African Air Force (SAAF) Oryx transport helicopters have flown back from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) under their own power, while two others will be airlifted back. The SAAF is seeing an improvement in aircraft availability across its fleet.

The three Oryx were seen transiting through Livingstone, Zambia, on Sunday before arriving at Air Force Base Waterkloof in Pretoria.

All three landed at Waterkloof to clear customs, then on to 17 Squadron’s facilities at Air Force Mobile Deployment Wing (AF MDW — formerly AFB Swartkop) for the night, aviation expert Dean Wingrin reported.

He explained that one Oryx was serving with the UN missions in the DRC (Monusco) while the other two were with the South African National Defence Force’s (SANDF’s) support contingent and flew from Lubumbashi.

“In addition, the Oryx that was stuck at Goma Airport when M23 took over the area, and which is not airworthy because it took substantial damage from ground fire, has left Goma and will be airlifted back to South Africa, as will an Oryx from Lubumbashi that has an engine issue,” African Defence Review director Darren Olivier said.

The Oryx at Goma was hit more than 40 times while carrying out a medical evacuation last year, resulting in injury to the commander as well as a medic in the cabin. The Oryx was badly damaged, with multiple rounds going through the cabin, cockpit and main rotor blades and causing damage to the hydraulic system.

In addition to the Oryx helicopters returning from the DRC, the SANDF has been bringing back equipment and remaining personnel that were serving with the now-terminated Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC). For the past month, there have been almost daily flights by chartered Ilyushin Il-76 cargo aircraft between the DRC (Lubumbashi and Kinshasa) and South Africa (AFB Waterkloof).

“After the disastrous fall of Goma in the eastern DRC in January and the encirclement of South African, Malawian and Tanzanian forces in the city, which were part of SAMIDRC, Pretoria began planning to support and protect those troops,” Olivier and Peter Fabricius explained to The Daily Maverick.

“This involved flying in a rapid reaction force to Luano International Airport in Lubumbashi, in the southeastern DRC, with a smaller number going to Kinshasa. The force, deployed under Operation Impilo, included two Oryx helicopters, anti-aircraft systems, ground support systems for other aircraft, and about 700 combat troops and other personnel. This force remained in place throughout the many months of the SAMIDRC encirclement and stayed after the South African, Tanzanian and Malawian troops in the SAMIDRC withdrew from the DRC earlier this year.

“Later, the two Oryx helicopters of the Impilo force were joined by two more that had been released from the UN peace enforcement mission in the DRC, Monusco, of which South Africa remains part. Last month, South Africa decided to end the Operation Impilo deployment, which had an unclear legal basis without a specific presidential authorisation letter, and to repatriate the equipment, helicopters and troops to South Africa,” they explained.

Many of the charters bringing back SANDF equipment are with Fly Sky Airlines, a Kyrgyzstan-based provider of large cargo aircraft.

The return of the Oryx helicopters to South Africa comes at a time of increasing aircraft availability rates. Aviation experts estimate there are about five Rooivalk attack helicopters flying at present, half a dozen Hawk Mk 120 lead-in fighter-trainers, several Gripen fighter jets, numerous BK117 and A109 helicopters, a couple of Lynx naval helicopters, a C212 light transport and a C-130BZ Hercules transport, among others. The Cessna Caravan fleet is also being made airworthy, and there are plans to bring the C47-TP fleet back to flying status.

DefenceWeb