South African Army Artillery Formation
The South African Army Artillery Formation is the controlling entity of all South African Army artillery units.
Units
The Formation consists of both regular and reserve units:
Regular units
- Artillery Formation Headquarters
- School of Artillery
- 4 Artillery Regiment (Composite Regiment)(Potchefstroom)
- Artillery Mobilisation Regiment
- 10 Air Defence Regiment
Reserve units
Recent deployments
Due to a shortage of regular infantry, both 4 Artillery Regiment and 10 Air Defence Regiment have recently provided gunners deployed in their secondary role as line infantry in the central African region on peacekeeping duties.
Equipment
The Formation uses the following equipment, among others:
- GV6 155 mm self-propelled howitzer (20)
- GV5 155 mm howitzer (75) replaced the G4 155 mm gun and the G2 (5.5 inch or 140 mm) gun
- G7 105 mm gun still in process of development
- Bateleur 127 mm 40 tube self-propelled multiple rocket launcher
- 1 Battery of Tactical Unmanned Air Vehicles used for daytime reconnaissance and artillery spotting.(ATE Vulture UAV)
- M5 120mm Mortar. Light Air deployable Mortar.
- Static and Mobile Radar Guided Anti Aircraft Guns including Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannon
- 1 Battery of Starstreak Man Portable Air Defence Missiles
- In the process of selecting Short Range Air Defence Missiles(probably the Denel Umkhonto SAM - already in service with the SA Navy and ordered by the Finnish Navy and Swedish Navy)