Category Archives: General News and Airshow Reviews
Cuban South African Airforce Graduates
by Lt Gen F.Z. Msimang, Chief of the South African Air Force
Life is indeed cyclical. Many years ago, in the mid-80’s a young soldier by the name Zakes Khulu along with his comrades found themselves in a foreign country pursuing aviation studies. They learned all they could in that country, immersing themselves in its culture, its ways of life. They would eventually return home with their newly acquired skills, eager to start collaborating in establishing a new democracy. Looking back at their journey in many ways mirrors your own. You too were deployed to a foreign country to learn, to grow, to improve and be immersed in a culture engendered with liberation so that when you returned, which you have now done, you will continue the democracy building project. That Zakes Khulu with some of those surviving comrades, stand before you now beaming with pride for your extraordinary achievements, watching you ride the waves of endless possibilities. We are extremely proud of you all.
We are here, today, under strict Covid-19 regulations, which we must observe and respect accordingly, to welcome all of you on parade and your proud families, loved ones and friends to this auspicious and memorable occasion. We are here to honour a group of military aviators who trained in the Republic of Cuba; we welcome them home to their esteemed SAAF flying community.
Graduates, you have touched my heart. You have carried yourselves with exceptional grace and honour. You kept your promise to me. You have brought home commendable results but know this road still unfolds before your feet. Baba Mandela – the Father of our Nation – once said: “After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”
This parade marks one of the many summits you will have to reach in your long careers in the SANDF.
But as your achievements belong to you they belong also to your unwavering support structures. It was a community project. This journey would have been impossible without the commitment and dedication of your instructors, your mentors and of cause – the support of your proud parents, family members and loved ones. A special word of thank you to all the SAAF members who helped you work through obstacles, while you tenaciously invited the universe to mold you into fine soldiers.
Our unbreakable bonds between the Cubas and our government can be traced to its support of African liberation movements, following the overthrow of the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959 by “The Movement,” formed by late longtime Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Cuba supported the anti-apartheid struggle in this country opposing racial segregation when it was not fashionable to do so. It criticised the international community for blatantly ignoring South Africa’s human rights’ violations – the very rights that many are taking for granted in this country today.
When the democratic South African National Defence Force entered into bilateral agreements with The Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces to create study opportunities for our soldiers, the South African Air Force (SAAF) embraced this opportunity with open arms.
We identified disciplined young men and women to undergo training in Cuba, where they would be immersed in a different culture, social structure, and political landscape. In 2014, we sent twenty-seven candidates to undergo various training specialties in aviation engineering, air traffic control and pilot training fields. They stand before us now: a result of a bond based on shared revolutionary principles.
I kept an eagle eye on your developments in Cuba. I was pleased to learn that you turned every challenge into an opportunity for growth. Your results speak for themselves. You received golden awards for both academia and sports. You even experienced the devastating hurricane Irma and used that difficult time to learn major survival skills. Your stay in Cuba also coincided with the mourning of the passing of one the world’s finest revolutionaries Fidel Castro, his message of resistance to oppression resounding strong. Cuba provided you with immense lessons in patriotism, survival and determination. May these lessons nourish you.
Additional SAAF students commenced with their aviation training in Cuba in 2018 and 2019. We are expecting more graduates in 2021, 2022 amd 2026. Extending the SAAF training scope to various foreign countries will ultimately bring about a generation of differently trained individuals who if nurtured and allowed to plough back their knowledge, will enhance our outlook as part of the global community.
And as we reach our close, I must stress that the knowledge you have acquired is crucial in meeting our Constitutional mandate and requirements. Our constitution states that “the Defence Force must be structured and managed as a disciplined military force”. As a soldier, for me, the success of the SAAF will be underpinned by an enforcement of discipline and the concentration on functional, developmental and physical training. May we be soldiers who live in integrity: for ours is to serve with discipline, dignity, professionalism and patriotism. You have answered our Nation’sd call – Which is Service, and Country. May you grow to be airmen with integrity,…… for ours is to serve with discipline, dignity, professionalism and patriotism.
As proud and devoted members of the SANDF, we must have an eagle’s eye view on any challenge and hover above it menacingly, in the knowledge that our citizenry expects nothing less than a deep sense of security from us.
The Chief of the SAAF concluded his speech below:
TO THE MEMBERS ON PARADE, I WISH YOU ALL SUCCESS IN YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVOURS. YOU ARE OUR FUTURE LEADERS. GO OUT THERE AND SERVE THE NATION. THE AIR FORCE COMMAND COUNCIL WILL CERTAINLY BE FOLLOWING YOUR CAREERS WITH INTEREST – CONTINUE WITH THE HARD WORK AND DISCIPLINE YOU HAVE DEMONSTRATED THUS FAR.
MAY YOU BE ABUNDANTLY BLESSED.
I THANK YOU.
Aero L39s of the Cuban Airforce were used as ab-intio trainers for South African Air Force pupil pilots!
COVID Aviation Trips – SAAF Museum Swartkop
By now most of us have been absolutely deprived of aviation. Unfortunately all airshows for 2020 have been either postponed or cancelled. This leaves us with almost no aviation action, or does it?
In the coming weeks, we will be looking at different smaller aviation spots that can help scratch that aviation itch that has been annoying us all during this lockdown.
In the second installment of this series we’ll be looking at the Swartkop, South African Air force (SAAF) Museum branch. With the museum opening to the public on the 1st of October 2020, this makes for another spot where aviation enthusiast can experience some aviation action.
The SAAF Museum hosts many ex-SAAF aircraft ranging from Impalas to Cheetahs and Alouette to Puma. The hangars bare host to most of the museum’s static aircraft.
At time of writing the museum will only be open to the public on Mondays to Thursday from 08h30 to 14h00. When we will see Saturday Flight Training days again is not yet known, but pilots that have not flown since the beginning of Lockdown have been flying in the weeks so there is always a chance of seeing some aircraft in the air as well.
We look forward to spending some time at the museum again soon. As always, entry to the museum is free, but a donation goes a long way towards preserving our aviation heritage.
Africa’s First Aeroplane built in the Free State
In the Free State town of Branford,one can visit the house of the man who built the first aircraft in Africa. He was M.J.L Weston,who was born in a ox-wagon,spent much of his youth in the United Stated of America (USA), and returned towards the end of the Anglo-Boer War to fight on the side of the Boers.
No two sources agree on Westons pioneering exploits in aviation,but the main thread of the story seems to run as follows.He designed and flew a glider in the USA in 1892,when hewas 19 years old.
Back in South Africa,he designed and built his first aeroplane on the farm called Kalkdam in Bultfontein district,from 1907 to 1909.The machine turned out to be under powered he took it to France,where,in the workshops of the Farman Brothers ,he installed a 50-hp Gnome rotary engine.
He flew the machine for the first time in Kimberly Northern Cape on 18 June 1911.During this and subsequent flights he remained in the air for as long as eight and a half minutes.
It was during this period that he lived in Brandfort. The last version of Weston’s aeroplane engine,the oldest in the country and the only one of its kind,can be seen in the National Museum in Bloemfontein.During the First World War Weston served as a pilot in the Royal Naval Air force.At one stage he was posted to the Greek Navy,with the honorary rank of rear-admiral.
Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers set new WORLD RECORD for range & duration of non-stop flight
pair of Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers have spent more than 25 hours in the air and covered over 20,000km, setting a new world record for non-stop flight range, and duration, for this type of aircraft, it has been revealed.
The Defense Ministry, in Moscow, made the announcement on Saturday with Sergey Kobylash, the commander of Russia’s long-range aviation service, saying that “nobody has flown this type of aircraft longer.”
The record, which was set on Saturday, saw two Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bombers (NATO reporting name ‘Blackjack’) “staying in the air for more than 25 hours and covering a distance of over 20,000km (12,427 miles),” the commander added.
The landmark flight took place above the neutral waters of the Arctic and Pacific oceans as well as the Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, Chukchi and Barents seas, and was performed in full compliance with international rules governing use of airspace, he pointed out.
The Tu-160s refueled three times in the air during their mission, which required six Il-78 tanker planes to be mobilised. At some points along their route, the bombers were escorted by Russian Su-35 fighter jets as well as “aircraft of foreign states,” Kobylash said.
The previous record was also set by Tu-160s, which spent 24 hours and 24 minutes in the air back in 2010. In the case of passenger aircraft, a Qantas Airlines flight from New York to Sydney last year is considered to be the longest, as it saw a Boeing 787-9 with 49 people on board staying the air for 19 hours and 15 minutes, covering a distance of 16,200km (around 10,066 miles).
TU-160s Visit South Africa last October!
Last year October a pair of TU-160s traveled to South Africa landing at Air force Base Waterkloof, City of Tshwane. This was the first time this type of aircraft had landed on African soil for the first time.
First Brazilian Saab Gripen E Arrives in Brazil
The first Brazilian Saab Gripen E single-seat fighter aircraft has arrived in Brazil on Sunday, September 20, Saab announced.
The aircraft arrived through sea after been shipped from Norrköping in Sweden.
The first Brazilian Gripen is a test aircraft (39-6001, tail number FAB4100) and has been flying in Sweden since its maiden flight on August 26, 2019. In September that year, the aircraft arrived to start the flight test programme for flight envelope expansion as well as testing of tactical system and sensors.
Brazil has ordered 28 Gripen E single-seat jets that will be delivered to Brazil starting from 2021 and eight Gripen F twin-seat jets, starting from 2023. Saab is to building first 13 aircraft at its facility in Linköping, Sweden, while the remaining 23 will be built in Brazil.
Earlier this year, Saab performed the fist metal cut for the first Brazilian Gripen F, marking an important milestone in the program. The first part was manufactured recently at Saab’s facilities in Linköping, Sweden and is for the air duct section, just behind the cockpit of the aircraft.
Saab Aeronáutica Montagens (SAM) in Brazil, Saab’s first aerostructures plant outside of Sweden for the Gripen E/F, has recently announced the start of production in support of the program. This site builds sections of Gripen, which will then be delivered to the final assembly facilities at the Embraer plant in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo, Brazil and to Linköping, Sweden.
The tail cone and front fuselage of the single-seat version of the Gripen fighter (Gripen E) are the first aerostructures to enter into production at SAM. Subsequently, the aerodynamic brakes, rear fuselage, wing box and front fuselage for the two-seater version will also be manufactured at SAM.
COVID Aviation Trips – Grand Central
By now most of us have been absolutely deprived of aviation. Unfortunately all airshows for 2020 have been either postponed or cancelled. This leaves us with almost no aviation action, or does it?
In the coming weeks, we will be looking at different smaller aviation spots that can help scratch that aviation itch that has been annoying us all during this lockdown.
The first spot we’ll be visiting is Grand Central Airport. Sporting a Harvard Café with a lovely view of the apron, this makes for a good spot to get your dose of Vitamin A(viation).
The Harvard Café offers a wide selection of drinks and food ranging from cool drinks to beer and burgers to sushi.
The children’s play area at the Harvard Café makes this a great place to bring the whole family.
Grand Central Airport is a smaller regional airport with no commercial airlines operating out of the airport. This does not mean that there isn’t much to see though.
Many pilots based at the airport take to the skies here over the weekends. Here there is no shortage of Cessna’s, Robinson Heli’s and even the occasional King Air and Aero Commander 500B as seen below.
As the name suggests, Grand Central is very centrally located, making it not a very long drive from most locations in Gauteng.
Photos taken at Grand Central recently:
Gripen fighter aircraft for Croatia
On 9 September 2020, the Swedish government sent its proposal for twelve new Saab JAS39C and JAS39D Gripen fighter aircraft to Croatia. The Swedish embassy in Croatia and the Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV) handed over the government-to-government proposal.
The Hrvatske Zračne Snage (Croatian Air Force) is looking to replace its long plagued MiG-21 fleet. Initially, Croatia purchased an upgrade for its MiG-21s plus some additional MiG-21bis from UkrSpetsExport and Odesaviaremservice in Odessa (Ukraine), but, some time after delivery, Croatia found that four of the five aircraft had falsified documents and parts installed.
These four aircraft were declared unreliable and unsafe to operate and were withdrawn from use. Now only four MiG-21bis and four MiG-21UM two-seaters remain airworthy. The Minister of Defence announced the MiG-21 fleet will be obsolete in 2023/2024 because of the remaining flight hours and available spare parts dwindling.In 2018, Croatia decided to opt for twelve F-16 Barak aircraft from Israel over the quotation from the USA. The deal was blocked by the United States, as the US government has an end-user-agreement for the Israeli F-16s and they must approve the sale of any of its aircraft that are up for sale to a third party.
Israel requested such an approval, but this request was denied.Croatian media reported that a new Request for Proposal (RFP) was sent to seven countries: USA for new F-16s, Sweden for new Gripens, Greece/Israel/Norway for secondhand F-16s, Italy for used EF2000s and France for used Rafales.
The deadline for sending in bids was 7 May 2020. A decision was expected around August and the contract was to be signed before the end of this year. But this will likely be delayed because of COVID-19.Sweden has submitted an official proposal and officially announced the offer also includes a custom made strategic cooperation package, which would boost the Croatian defence industry, and benefit Croatian security by building a long-term partnership with strategic sectors. It is not known if the other countries have submitted their bids to Croatia or if Sweden is the only country that made a proposal.
‘The pilot who saved Buckingham Palace’ September 15th, 1940
The collision between a Dornier and Hurricane over Buckingham Palace on ‘Battle of Britain Day’ is one of the iconic moments of ‘The Battle’. The falling planes were captured on film from the ground and the exploits of the daring pilot who saved Buckingham Palace from the German bomber were widely reported in national newspapers. A version of the incident is even appeared in the 1969 feature film ‘The Battle of Britain’.
At 11 Group Headquarters in Uxbridge Air Vice Marshal Keith Park had important guests; Winston Churchill and his wife. There was no significance to Churchill’s visit, he was ‘just passing’ and thought he would call in. As Keith Park led his guests down the stairs to the operations room some fifty feet underground he tactfully pointed out to Winston that the ventilation system would not cope with his cigar smoke; he clenched his cigar, unlit, between his teeth as events unfolded. Park had been made privy to intelligence that an all-out attack was soon to come and there had been a lull in activity for over a week. As he ordered his squadrons into the air one after another he is reputed to have said, “This, I think is what we have been waiting for. I think that it is about to happen.”
The scene was set for an epic battle.One-by-one squadrons were brought to Stand By and then Readiness as the enemy forces were plotted on the ops table. By midday twenty-three fighter squadrons were airborne. The scale of the enemy attack was such that Park knew his pilots could not repulse it; London was in for a ‘pasting’.Piloting one of the Dornier 17s was 27 year old Oberleutnant Robert Zehbe of the bomber unit 1/KG76. Zehbe’s crew were old hands and had successfully completed several raids, including Kenley on August 18th and London on September 7th, but this time things were not going well for them. One engine was giving trouble and they began to lag behind the formation; a vulnerable position as fighter pilots loved to pick off a straggler. Turning for home was a riskier option, for an ailing bomber chugging alone across the skies of Kent was a sitting duck. They were 500 yards behind the formation when the first fighter attack came just south of London.
Flight Lieutenant Jefferies led his flight of 310 (Czech) Squadron into the fray and set the Dornier’s port engine on fire; then his less experienced Czech charges had their turn at the bomber. Pilots from 609 and 504 squadrons also seized on the opportunity of an easy kill and poured more gunfire into the hapless Dornier, yet still it limped on. Two of its crew baled out; Ludwig Armbruster at Sydenham and Leo Hammermeister at Dulwich. Crossing the Thames at Battersea six fighters were seen making repeated attacks. Finally Robert Zehbe abandoned the Dornier, leaving his young gunner Gustav Hubel dead or mortally wounded in the stricken aircraft. A badly wounded Zehbe landed at Kennington, where was beaten up by civilians; he died later of injuries.
One of the attacking pilots was 26 year old Sergeant Ray Holmes. Ray, known as ‘Arty’ after his initial R-T, was flying a Hurricane from 504 Squadron and his actions over London would propel him into limelight then – and 64 years later
The Pilot’s Story from War IllustratedAnd here is the story told by the pilot who brought the ’plane down at Victoria Station. He is a Sergeant Pilot from West Kirby, in Cheshire, and it was his first fight. After he had shot down the enemy machine he had to jump by parachute. He said:“I was in the last section of my Squadron, and my Dornier victim took all that I had to give him. Bits flew off him and I broke away intending to turn and attack again. My wind¬screen was covered with black oil, and when I did attack again I think it must have been a different machine. Anyway, as soon as I fired a big flame shot up, and I must have got his petrol tanks.“I broke away again, and turned to make a head-on attack on another Dornier, firing a burst straight into its cockpit. At first I thought a piece of the Dornier had flown off but then I saw it was a German baling out. I passed so near that I believe I touched the parachute.
“As I made my final attack, my right wing struck something. I went into a terrific spin. There was no response from my controls.“I flung the hood back and struggled to get out. I must have been doing well over 400 m.p.h. when I finally got out of the cockpit. The wind was so strong it was like a piece of an airplane hitting me. People on the ground told me later that my parachute opened at only three hundred feet.“I spun across a house in Chelsea, got my feet down on a gutter, slid down the roof, and fell into the garden on my back. Then two girls came up to me, and I was so glad to see them that I kissed them both.”Ray Holmes landed in Hugh Street and, as soon he had his wits about him, he was born off to a pub in Pimlico Road by the locals for a stiff brandy
As the Dornier broke up its bombs fell, unarmed, over London. Two 50 kilo bombs fell in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, one on the palace’s lawn. A shackle was found still attached to one of the bombs and was presented to the King. In the days before, several bombs had fallen on the palace and caused damage; now a bomber been brought down within sight of it. Soon journalists had hold of the story and, in its re-telling, the story became embroidered and elaborated upon. Soon the hero fighter pilot had deliberately rammed the German moments before it dropped its deadly cargo on the Royal family – he had saved the King single-handed!
Professional photographer and artist Chris Bennett had long suspected that some evidence of the Hurricane would have survived beneath the road into which it had crashed, but as it is one of the busiest roads in London a recovery seemed almost impossible.
The SAPFA Secunda Speed Rally – 12 September 2020
by Rob Jonkers
This year we have returned again to the birth place of the Speed Rally, being the 3 rd time this event has been held here, and appropriate that our Speed Rally event during these unprecedented times has come
back to its roots, with 8 months having passed from the last one held in Witbank. Although this would have been the season finale, SAPFA had decided to extend this 2nd season up to the end of the year to also
include Springs which will be held on the 28th November, this will then at least have had 2020 with 3 events, then we can start afresh with a new season in 2021.
Once after lockdown level 3 we were granted the means to hold events, planning started for Secunda, with competitors having snapped up the open spots of 23 teams within days, given the popularity of this
event. At least under Level 2 Covid guidelines, overnighting could also be done, with arrivals and test flights on Friday the 11th , as well as the extended briefing on steroids with the race number handouts.
Our host club with Chairman Johan van Niekerk went all out to support the event, making arrangements for food on site, and contacts for accommodation, and the use of club facilities. Arrivals started coming in
from just before midday with flight tests commencing in good conditions under the guidance of Mark Clulow and Sean Cronin, the wind however started to pick up with gusty conditions, which at least settled
down in the late afternoon.
Thereafter at 18h30, Jonty Esser as the MC introduced Rob Jonkers who took to the stage and provided a briefing on what to expect for the next day in terms of the planned route, how many turn-points, distance,
departure and arrivals protocol, and also how the scoring system would world work and the expected weather conditions.
Jonty Esser then took to the stage in his signature competing crew introductory theme song videos and race number handouts, and also including introductions to the event and team sponsors, which has
unfortunately reduced over this last period, but was great to see that some sponsors were able to maintain their support for their teams. A scrumptious braai was laid on by the club to end the evening with around
the fire stories on a high note.
For Saturday the briefing started at 08h30, which was a shortened version just to cover the basics of the route, radio procedures and weather, which turned out to be pristine conditions with very little wind.
With the briefing over, teams prepared their aircraft, while the organisers got the papers ready. Each team would then receive an envelope with a map, turn-point photos, a minute marker and a GPS logger to
record their track. Aircraft were then also scrutineered with all portable electronic devices sealed up in bags. For this event Mark & Shane from Century Avionics were on hand to also block off / seal Aircraft
GPS and autopilot systems.
Scrutineers Chareen, Lizelle and Sean were on hand to seal up all portable GPS capable devices,handing out papers at the allotted time, and also checking the fuel tanks were full. Chief Marshall Adrian
Cronje and Starter Mark Clulow set up at the starting line adjacent the threshold of Runway 29, who would release each aircraft at their allotted time slot. Each team then received their envelopes with their loggers
at 20 minutes prior take-off time, taxi to the starting line within 10 minutes of brake release. 1 st take-off was at 10h10 for the slowest aircraft and last take-off at 10h40, with planned arrival at 11h30.
With all the competitors off towards the north west, the route had a mix of easy and challenging turn points. In general the competitors found the course easy enough this time round, with the photographs now in
larger format to identify the ground features more prominently, which can be seen in the results where many had a clear round in their tracks. At just before 11h30, the first aircraft over the line was a little early,and then followed by at least three quarters of the field within 1 minute, with tail enders after that.
After all teams having returned, the scoring team got to work to analyse the results, completing the individual scores by 13:30, with prize giving at 14:00. MC Jonty Esser thanked everybody in the Speed Rally series for their contributions, this was followed by Rob Jonkers showing some interesting tracks for the day.
Thereafter trophies were handed out to firstly the host club for hosting the event, their club house now sporting 3 of these trophies, the most interesting track flown which went to Hilton Wolff and Rob Osner
and the best crew spirit going to Lourence Matthee and Christo Erasmus.
The winners in the handicap category were father and son Hendrik & Jandre Loots in their Sling ZU-IHK, in second place Eugene van Staden & Manaf Mubarak in their Sling ZU-IBH and in third place Leon Joubert & Sandi Goddard in their Lancair ZU-LNC. The first thirteen placings were the only crews who managed a clean penalty free round.
The winners in the accuracy category were again father and son Hendrik & Jandre Loots in their Sling ZU-IHK, in second place also father and son Johan Whiteman & Quintin Kruger in their Cherokee 235 ZS-FVV, and in third place Phil Wakeley & Mary de Klerk in their C210 ZS-CNY.
Many thanks to the Secunda Aero Club for hosting this fantastic event, the SAPFA team of Adrian Cronje as the Chief Marshall, Nigel Musgrave as the Safety Officer, Dirk de Vos doing the scoring, Mark Clulow & Sean Cronin doing test flights and starting, Marc & Shane for Century Avionics for Scrutineering, Chareen Shillaw, Lizelle Kruger handing out competition papers to the crews as well as Scrutineering, Jonty & Lizelle & Sandy for putting together an awesome Friday evening launch event, and the ATNS team for managing the ATC for the weekend.
Royal Australian Airforce to celebrate 100 years in 2021
AMDA Foundation Limited announced that, due to the effects of the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, the 2021 Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition (AVALON 2021) would be deferred from its original February dates to November 2021, with precise dates to be advised shortly. Following extensive assessment and consultation, the new dates for AVALON 2021 have now been determined.
AVALON 2021 will be held from Tuesday 23 November to Sunday 28 November, 2021.
Like all responsible organisations, AMDA Foundation has monitored the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic from its inception. After extensive consultation and review, it became clear that the impacts of COVID-19, including lengthy logistical lead times and uncertainty about availability of international travel, would pose unacceptable risks to AVALON 2021, should it continue within its original February timeframe.
This deferral will provide certainty for partners, stakeholders, exhibitors and participants. It will also enable industry to focus on managing through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, knowing that AVALON 2021 in a 23-28 November timing will confidently contribute to the regeneration of business development.
As the centrepiece of the Royal Australian Air Force’s Centenary celebrations, AVALON 2021 will have great national and international significance. Deferring AVALON 2021 to November will ensure the event serves its purpose as a powerful promotional and industry engagement forum on the way to business recovery and as a spectacular celebration of 100 years of the Royal Australian Air Force.
Strongly supported by the Royal Australian Air Force, the biennial Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition (AVALON) is Australia’s own signature international aviation, aerospace and defence event. Organised by AMDA Foundation Limited, it is a premium international platform for engagement between industry, defence, government and academia.
As one of the world’s great air shows, AVALON is a hallmark international major event for the State of Victoria and the City of the Geelong. It is the most spectacular and the most comprehensive aviation, aerospace and defence event in the Indo Asia Pacific region. Uniquely, AVALON is Australia’s largest combined business exposition and public entertainment spectacular – it takes Australia to the World by bringing the World to Australia!
As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, all three major international defence-related events conducted by AMDA, with support from the Australian Defence Force, have been rescheduled in the national interest. LAND FORCES has been deferred to 1-3 June 2021, and the INDO PACIFIC International Maritime Exposition (formerly PACIFIC) has been deferred to May 2022. Thank you for your patience as we worked through these changes.
Join us from 23 to 28 November next year at AVALON 2021, where a century of distinguished service by the Royal Australian Air Force will be the theme, and the focus for the world’s aviation, aerospace and defence industries will be on promoting business for the future.
Ian Honnery
Chief Executive
AMDA Foundation Limited