SA needs well-equipped air force as ‘insurance policy’

A defence force acts as a country’s insurance policy, and even a country that is not at war needs a force that will provide sufficient deterrence, the Arms Procurement Commission heard on Friday.

"Even some of us who are 100% healthy do take out insurance. The same kind of thinking should be applied where (South Africa) is concerned," South African Air Force deputy chief Maj-Gen Gerald Malinga said.

Maj-Gen Malinga told the commission that the government’s acquisition of arms in 1999 came at a crucial time for the air force, when most of its fighter aircraft were becoming obsolete.

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