South Africa’s biggest airshow ends with a big bang

• The 2024 edition of the African Aerospace and Defence Expo was held this weekend.
• Despite poor weather, South Africa’s Air Force and SANDF were still able to hold impressive displays for onlookers.
• The event is also used by local and international defence companies to showcase their wares.

Despite the unusual cold Spring weather this weekend, hundreds of visitors flocked to one of the biggest dates in the South African defence calendar for the African Aerospace and Defence Expo (AAD) 2024, called the largest air and defence showcase on the African continent.

The show marked a gathering of some of the continent’s as well as the world’s largest defence companies, and attendees of the show were treated to a spectacle, topped off by an explosive send-off with a squadron of Gripen fighter jets.

The expo began on 18th September, with a visit from President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister of Defence Angie Motshekga at the Waterkloof Air Force Base where the event was being held. The president made a big deal of the Chinese Xian Y-20 cargo aircraft, which was also part of the airshow.

Chinese hardware had a larger presence at this year’s AAD, which usually has a wider contingent of American planes and other vehicles, but the US military decidedly withdrew from the event this year, due to, as the Democratic Alliance claims, the South African Department of Defence refused to sign a renewal of the 1999 Status of Forces Agreement.

This agreement ensures that military forces from the US will be afforded internationally recognised diplomatic immunities and privileges. The department and Minister Motshekga apparently only sent in the required communications to renew the 1999 Agreement after the US announced its withdrawal from the AAD.

Despite the lack of American aircraft, like the Boeing C-17 Globemaster, a Lockheed Martin C-130 Super Hercules and a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker present in the 2022 edition of the AAD, and the cold weather over the weekend that had several air displays cancelled, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) were still able to hold a successful “mini war” exhibition.

This exhibition, according to the SABC, opened with a paratrooper drop from an Oryx helicopter, with SANDF infantry and mechanised brigades treating visitors to seeing Rooikat armoured fighting vehicles, and their Mamba armoured personnel carriers (APCs).

Ground forces then simulated a battle, with air support from Gripen fighter jets, Rooivalk helicopters, and others like the Casa C212 cargo plane. Another marquee flight over the weekend was a FlySafair Boeing 737-800 which made several circuits across the base.

The AAD expo happens every two years, with the next edition of the event expected in 2026. While visitors do get to see an exhilarating display of Proudly SA flying, the expo is also a key event for the defence business.

State-owned arms maker Denel was part of the event, showcasing its advanced weapons. The company has been in financial distress for several years.

Of Denel, Ramaphosa said that the company has “showcased that we have technological capability. Now, Denel, as we all know, has gone through a horrendous period during State Capture, but I’m glad to hear and to see that they are rebuilding.”

“Denel is coming back to (its) glory days,” the president said, per Defence Web. Another local weapon maker, Milkor, was one of the top sponsors for this year’s event.

The company recently launched the Milkor 380 super drone – the largest unmanned aerial vehicle ever produced on the continent.

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