South African military is at war without helicopter-service deal

South Africa has deployed its troops into two wars without renewing a maintenance contract needed to keep its essential attack and transport helicopters flying. A so-called fixed-cost contract between state arms maker Denel and the Department of Defence — which covers the expenses of technicians and engineers — lapsed more than four months ago and hasn’t been renewed, Denel said in a response to queries. That jeopardises the South African military’s ability to protect about 4 000 troops it’s deploying to fight jihadists in Mozambique and rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo with its Oryx transport helicopters and Rooivalk, or Red Falcon, attack helicopters. The contract lapse is evidence of how South Africa’s ambitions to bolster its influence on the continent with peacekeeping missions aren’t matched by a budget that’s struggling to finance everything from its armed forces to port and power-plant overhauls. “Air assets are absolutely critical in any counterinsurgency operation, particularly in this terrain,” said Piers Pigou, Southern Africa program head at the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies. “We have put our hand up for something we aren’t able to deliver.”