No pilot school for Overberg base

2012-07-18 19:09

There will not be a Gripen fighter weapon school at Air Force Base Overberg in the Western Cape, the defence department says. (File, AFP)

Johannesburg - There will not be a Gripen fighter weapon school at Air Force Base Overberg in the Western Cape, the defence department said on Wednesday.

"The SA National Defence Force notes with concern the insinuations [that it will] partner with Saab to establish [the school]," department spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini said in a statement.

"We would like to place on record that there has never been any discussion between Saab and the SANDF."

Last week, defence and security company Saab announced on its group website that it was investing in an advanced training centre for experienced fighter pilots at Air Force Base Overberg.

Dlamini said the report that the school would be established in Overberg was "devoid of truth".

"The Air Force Base Overberg is a sensitive security establishment of the SANDF and will remain solely in the hands of the SANDF," he said.

- SAPA