15 Squadron SAAF is a squadron of the

South African Air Force "Through hardships to the stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...

. It is currently a transport/utility

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribu ...

squadron.

History

The squadron was formed on 18 September 1939 as a SAAF Coastal Command squadron based at Cape Town. During the war it flew Junkers Ju-86,

Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...

and

Martin Maryland The Martin Model 167 Maryland was an American medium bomber that first flew in 1939. It saw action in World War II with France and the United Kingdom. Design and development In response to a December 1937 United States Army Air Corps requiremen ...

aircraft. The squadron suffered a tragedy in May 1942, when eleven out of twelve personnel perished when three Blenheims encountered a sand storm and lost their bearings during a training flight and had to make an emergency landing in the desert. The squadron flew Baltimore 5 Light Bombers in May 1945 as part of 253 Wing of the Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force. Other aircraft flown during and after the war included

s, and Martin Baltimores. Notable Second World War members include Harry Schwarz, who in 1984 was made honorary colonel of the squadron.

Post Second World War

Aircraft flown after the war included the Aérospatiale SA 321 Super Frelon and the

Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma The Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma is a four-bladed, twin-engined medium transport/utility helicopter that was designed and originally produced by the French aerospace manufacturer Sud Aviation. It is capable of carrying up to 20 passengers as well as ...

. The current base is

AFB Durban AFB Durban is an airbase of the South African Air Force, located in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The runway is shared with the (now defunct) Durban International Airport (since September 1956). The airbase is at the northern end of th ...

situated at the old Durban International Airport. It operates Atlas Oryx and

MBB/Kawasaki BK 117 The MBB/Kawasaki BK 117 is a twin-engined medium utility– transport helicopter. It was jointly developed and manufactured by Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) of Germany and Kawasaki of Japan. MBB was later purchased by Daimler-Benz and even ...

helicopters. Their primary role is maritime and landward

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

. Two flights of Oryx, A and B Flights, are based in Durban and C Flight, consisting of four BK 117s is detached to AFS Port Elizabeth. The current BK 117 aircraft of C Flight were originally inherited from the Apartheid-era "homelands", the Ciskei having acquired 3 in 1983, Venda 2 in 1985, Transkei 2 in 1986 and Bophuthatswana 2 in 1987, making a total of 10 with an extra delivered from Brazil. Two of the aircraft have already been mothballed at AFB Bloemspruit. Four remain in service with 15 Squadron. C Flight's conversion to

Agusta A109 The AgustaWestland AW109, originally the Agusta A109, is a lightweight, twin-engine, eight-seat multi-purpose helicopter designed and initially produced by the Italian rotorcraft manufacturer Agusta. It was the first all-Italian helicopter to ...

LUH helicopters has been postponed due to delays in developing emergency flotation equipment for the type, thus precluding its use in a maritime environment.

Attrition

* * *

Roll of Honour

In respect of those recipients about whom it is available, the actions they were cited for follow below the table, since inclusion in the table itself is impractical. Vinesh S

Actions cited for

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:15 Squadron Saaf Squadrons of the South African Air Force Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations in Durban Military units and formations in Port Elizabeth 1939 establishments in South Africa