The SA Air Force (SAAF) is honing and evaluating the various skills that make up the force’s combat readiness by way of Exercise Eagle Eye II, working from a remote location in the Limpopo province.
Preparation work started on 1 November at the Alldays air strip, 120 km from Air Force Base (AFB) Makhado by road, along with AFB Hoedspruit (337 km away), with the arrival and setting up of a tactical mobile radar unit. The remote bushveld strip was previously utilised by the SAAF but is now mostly a GA (general aviation) facility.
Alldays is now home to a temporary air base (TAB) commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Ewan Robbertse with a personnel strength of 115. These radar technicians, logisticians (as per an unnamed exercise communication officer), human resource practitioners, electricians, mission controllers, protection squadrons, firemen and hospitality service personnel will call the remote strip home until Eagle Eye II wraps up on 22 November.
That the exercise will be aircraft-free is borne out by the lack of any NOTAMs (Notice to Airmen) issued restricting use of Alldays and surrounding airspace while the SAAF exercise is underway. This was confirmed by a regular aircraft spotter who noted on Avcom “there don’t appear to be any NOTAMs for FAAL (Alldays Airport)”.
The official line from the airborne service of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has it Eagle Eye II “seeks to assess the level of combat readiness of SAAF units and bases, through compliance with the operational readiness instructions to realise its operational mandate in support of internal and external commitments”.
Eagle Eye II is using its 150 personnel capacity TAB and mobile sector control centre (MSCC) where personnel, systems and procedures in operational command and control of SAAF air operations will be evaluated.
Justification for the exercise, the lone SAAF force preparation one for the year following cancellation of Winter Solstice due to AAD (Africa Aerospace and Defence) exhibition commitments, is explained as a way of ensuring sufficient depth in personnel, doctrine, training organisation and equipment to meet existing and probable needs. To measure SAAF combat readiness and preparedness, regular training exercises are needed to prepare Lieutenant General Wiseman Mbambo’s service for “missions as determined in the force employment strategy (FES)”.
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