AFB Hoedspruit
Encyclopedia
Air Force Base Hoedspruit is an airbase of the South African Air Force
. It is located adjacent to the Kruger National Park
. In the late 1990s an unused portion of the base was converted into a civilian airport known as Eastgate Airport. It is also an emergency landing site for the Space Shuttle
.
s, with revetment
s placed close to the runways for aircraft on immediate take-off standby duty.
The base is teeming with wildlife, being surrounded by the 25 km² AFB Hoedspruit Game Reserve. Keeping the runway clear of animals was a massive problem. This led the base to introduce three cheetah
s on the flight line, with the end result that animal incursions onto the runway have decreased by 90%. Another SAAF base, AFB Makhado
, has since also adopted this concept.
The base gained international media attention in 2000, when it hosted the United States Air Force
's rescue contingent as part of Operation Atlas Response, the mission to provide rescue and humanitarian support to areas of Mozambique
devastated by the severe flooding caused by Cyclone Eline
.
The base motto is Pro Nostrorum Pace (Peace for our People).
South African Air Force
The South African Air Force is the air force of South Africa, with headquarters in Pretoria. It is the world's second oldest independent air force, and its motto is Per Aspera Ad Astra...
. It is located adjacent to the Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers and extends from north to south and from east to west.To the west and south of the Kruger National Park are the two South African provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In the north is Zimbabwe, and to the east is...
. In the late 1990s an unused portion of the base was converted into a civilian airport known as Eastgate Airport. It is also an emergency landing site for the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
.
Units Hosted
- 19 Squadron19 Squadron SAAF19 Squadron SAAF is a current squadron of the South African Air Force operating as a transport/utility helicopter squadron. It was formed in 1939 as part of the Air Force airways Wing, flying transport aircraft but was disbanded after a few months. It was re-formed from No. 227 Squadron RAF in...
- Helicopter squadron - 101 Squadron - Light transport (reserve)
- 514 Squadron - Security services
- 7 Aircraft Servicing Unit - Maintenance support
- Lowveld Airspace Control Sector - Airspace control
- Air Force Command and Control School - Training
History
The base was officially opened on 1 July 1978. It was designed from the start to be a highly-protected wartime base. As such, it has armoured and underground hangarUnderground hangar
An Underground hangar is a type of hangar for military aircraft, usually dug into the side of a mountain for protection. It is bigger and more protected than a Hardened Aircraft Shelter ....
s, with revetment
Revetment
Revetments, or revêtements , have a variety of meanings in architecture, engineering and art history. In stream restoration, river engineering or coastal management, they are sloping structures placed on banks or cliffs in such a way as to absorb the energy of incoming water...
s placed close to the runways for aircraft on immediate take-off standby duty.
The base is teeming with wildlife, being surrounded by the 25 km² AFB Hoedspruit Game Reserve. Keeping the runway clear of animals was a massive problem. This led the base to introduce three cheetah
Cheetah
The cheetah is a large-sized feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, most notable for modifications in the species' paws...
s on the flight line, with the end result that animal incursions onto the runway have decreased by 90%. Another SAAF base, AFB Makhado
AFB Makhado
Air Force Base Makhado , formerly Air Force Base Louis Trichardt, is an airbase of the South African Air Force, located at . It is the SAAF's northernmost base, situated at Louis Trichardt near the border with Zimbabwe, as well as being its most modern, and is known unofficially as Fighter Town,...
, has since also adopted this concept.
The base gained international media attention in 2000, when it hosted the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
's rescue contingent as part of Operation Atlas Response, the mission to provide rescue and humanitarian support to areas of Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
devastated by the severe flooding caused by Cyclone Eline
Cyclone Leon-Eline
Cyclone Leon–Eline was a long-lived Indian Ocean tropical cyclone which traversed almost the entire Indian ocean and made devastating strikes on Madagascar, Mozambique and South Africa, and had less serious effects in Zimbabwe where it eventually died out....
.
The base motto is Pro Nostrorum Pace (Peace for our People).