85 Combat Flying School SAAF

85 Combat Flying School

SAAF Bae Hawk Mk. 120
Active 1982 - Present
Country  South Africa
Branch South African Air Force
Type Jet flight-training and combat operations school
Current Base AFB Makhado, Louis Trichardt
Motto(s) Detrimento Sumus (Destruction is our Business)[1]
Anniversaries Received Unit colours 4 October 1988, Received national colours 1989
Aircraft used currently BAE Hawk Mk.120
Engagements SWA/Angolan conflict.[1]

85 Combat Flying School is a unit of the South African Air Force (SAAF). It is a jet flight-training and combat operations school, it was first formed in 1982 at AFB Pietersburg (It was known as Advanced Flying School from 1967).[1] It relocated to AFB Hoedspruit on 1 January 1993 due to the closure of AFB Pietersburg.[1] The school also has a wartime reserve role, although it has publicly been stated that the school will not be used operationally unless a very urgent need arises.[1]

Aircraft used previously :

The school has been relocated to AFB Makhado from AFB Hoedspruit into a new purpose built facility with state-of-the-art computer-aided flight training instruments. The school shares this facility with the SAAF Gripen community.

During October 2007 there were several pilots that went solo on the Hawk Mk.120.[2]

The squadron also participated in the annual South Africa National Defence Force preparation exercises and fired live cannon rounds and dropped live bombs. They also had a successful weapons deployment exercise to AFB Bloemspruit in 2007.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 History of 85 CFS, www.af.mil.za, Retrieved 2013-10-06
  2. ↑ http://www.af.mil.za/news/2007/161.htm

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