Lieutenant-General Carlo Gagiano (born 26 March 1951,

Bonnievale, Western Cape Bonnievale is a Human settlement, settlement in the Cape Winelands District Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The town is 64 km southeast of Worcester, South Africa, Worcester, in the Breede River Valley. It was foun ...

) is a retired South African military officer and former Chief of the South African Air Force. He joined the

South African Air Force The South African Air Force (SAAF) is the air warfare branch of South African National Defence Force, with its headquarters in Pretoria. The South African Air Force was established on 1 February 1920. The Air Force saw service in World War II a ...

in 1968, and served in the Border War in

South West Africa South West Africa was a territory under Union of South Africa, South African administration from 1915 to 1990. Renamed ''Namibia'' by the United Nations in 1968, Independence of Namibia, it became independent under this name on 21 March 1990. ...

in the 1980s.

Early and personal life

Carlo Gagiano was born on 26 March 1951, the son of Arnoldus Johannes Kennedy Gagiano and Sophia Christina Maria Gagiano (née Esterhuizen). He completed his secondary school education at Clanwilliam High School in December 1967. Gagiano married Leonie Minnie in 1974. He is an enthusiastic succulent collector and a keen reader of

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

aviation.

Air Force career

After completing his basic military training, Gagiano started his

career as a student pilot on the AerMacchi MB-326M in July 1968 at Flying Training School

Langebaanweg Langebaanweg is a town on the southwest coast of South Africa, in Western Cape Province. It is the location of the air force base AFB Langebaanweg. Langebaanweg has been an important mining center, with its main minerals consisting of phosphor ...

.Chief of the Air Force
After completing his "wings test", on 28 August 1969, he was transferred to Advanced Flying School Pietersburg for a

Vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

Conversion Course. He formally received his wings from Lieutenant General

Jacobus Verster Lieutenant-General Jacobus Verster (19191981) was a South African military commander. He joined the South African Air Force in 1936, and served in World War II. He was Chief of the Air Force from 1967 to 1975. Military career He was educ ...

at Flying Training School

on 5 December 1969 and was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. Early in 1970, he returned to Advanced Flying School Pietersburg for a Vampire Operational Conversion Course. He completed the OCC in July 1970 and was transferred to 1 Squadron flying the F 86 Sabre, which was primarily used to prepare young fighter pilots for conversion on the

Mirage III The Dassault Mirage III () is a family of single/dual-seat, single-engine, fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by French aircraft company Dassault Aviation. It was the first Western European combat aircraft to exceed Mach 2 in horizonta ...

aircraft. After spending a year at 1 Squadron, he was transferred to 2 Squadron flying the Mirage III at

Air Force Base Waterkloof Air Force Base Waterkloof is an airbase of the South African Air Force. It is situated on the outskirts of Pretoria, and is the SAAF's busiest airbase. The base's name means "water ravine" in Afrikaans and in Dutch. Despite the name, this base i ...

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

. He celebrated his 21st birthday at Flying Training School Langebaanweg on an air-to-air firing weapons camp. During his tour at 2 Squadron, he was promoted to lieutenant on 5 December 1971 and to captain on 1 December 1974. 2 Squadron, operating the

B, C, D E, R, D2 and R2 versions specialising in air superiority, ground attack and tactical reconnaissance. As part of his development, he did a Photo-Reconnaissance Course and a Junior Joint Warfare Course during this period. Gagiano became the squadron display pilot during the latter part of his tour at 2 Squadron. 1976 started with a transfer to 3 Squadron flying the new Mirage F1 CZ from Air Force Base Waterkloof. The squadron specialised in air superiority, with ground attack as a secondary role. He completed the South African Air Force Pilot Attack Instructors Course at

85 Combat Flying School 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).Central Flying School Dunnottar to do a basic flying instructors course on the T6 Harvard. The course included a conversion onto the Harvard, and immediately after that, the instructor's course. He was promoted to major on 1 January 1980 and qualified as a flying instructor on 18 February. After giving 254 hours of flying instruction year-end, he was transferred to 85 Combat Flying School at Air Force Base Pietersburg. 85 Combat Flying School Impala Flight operated the trusted AerMacchi MB 326M and 326K models. However, increasing demand for combat pilots demanded high-intensity instructional flying in the air-to-air and air-to-ground roles with an escalating Angolan conflict. By July 1981, Gagiano started flying the Mirage III again at 85 Combat Flying School's Mirage Flight. Shortly after that, the unit deployed to Air Force Base Ondangwa and flew close air support and escort missions. During this period, on 27 August, with a rocket attack on Ongiva in Southern Angola, a SAM 7 hit his leader, who landed safely at Ondangwa. On 3 April 1984, he completed 1,000 flying hours on the

and received a certificate personally signed by

Marcel Dassault Marcel Dassault (; born Marcel Ferdinand Bloch; 23 January 1892 – 17 April 1986) was a French engineer and industrialist who spent his career in aircraft manufacturing. He was also involved in politics, serving intermittently over more than thr ...

, the designer of the Mirage III. On 1 January 1985, Gagiano was promoted to commandant (lieutenant colonel), spent four months as Staff Officer Mirages at Air Force Head Quarters, followed by the Air Force Senior Command and Staff Course for the rest of the year. In 1986 Gagiano received a command appointment as the officer commanding 3 Squadron operating Mirage F1 CZ aircraft from

. During his tenure, the war in Angola escalated further, and the squadron deployed numerous times and mainly operated from Air Force Base

Rundu Rundu is the capital and the largest city of the Kavango-East Region in northern Namibia. It lies on the border with Angola on the banks of the Kavango River, about above sea level. Rundu's population is growing rapidly. The 2001 census counted ...

, now

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

. The squadron flew escort and air defence missions. Providing air cover for the SA Army in the battle for

Cuito Cuanavale Cuito Cuanavale, occasionally spelt Kuito Kuanavale or Kwito Kwanavale, is a municipality in Cuando province in Angola. The area around the town was the scene of heavy fighting during various campaigns during the Angolan Civil War and the South ...

was a geographical challenge. The closest airbase and air defence radar were 160 nautical miles to the south. The MiG-23s operated minutes from their base while the radar horizon for the South Africans was 20,000 feet over the battle area. The most challenging disparity was that the MiG-23s had all-sector missiles against the Mirage F1 with only a rear sector. The Mirage F1s intercepted the MiGs by ingressing at a low level, communicating to the radar operators through an airborne pilot relaying the messages to increase the surprise factor. The F1s intercepted two MiG formations during September 1987, one inconclusive when the missile exploded in the afterburner plume behind the target aircraft. With the second interception, the air defence radar at Rundu lost the targets at a critical time before the F1s could make visual contact. The MiG-23s launched their missiles when the F1s obtained visual contact after the initial cross, and the number two F1 sustained damage after the explosion. Air Force Base Rundu was not optimally suited for high-performance fighter aircraft, and the pilot could not stop on the runway. When the nosewheel collapsed after the upwind threshold, the ejection seat fired, seriously injuring the pilot. In both these cases, Gagiano was on cockpit standby and had to scramble. Nearing the end of his tour at 3 Squadron, Gagiano passed the 1,000 flying hour mark on the Mirage F1 CZ during a deployment to Air Force Base Langebaanweg. A further command appointment followed in January 1989 for Gagiano, serving as the officer commanding 89 Combat Flying School operating Cheetah D aircraft from Air Force Base Pietersburg. He also attended a military attaché course to prepare for his deployment as the Air Force attaché to Israel during his tenure.Chief of the Air Force
The couple arrived in Israel in late December 1989, with Gagiano now newly promoted to colonel, during increasing tension in the Middle East. When the air war started in Iraq and Israel began being targeted by

Scud A Scud missile is one of a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was exported widely to both Second and Third World countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name attached to the m ...

missiles, the defence office moved temporarily out of

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

to his residence for increased safety. By 1994 and back in South Africa, Gagiano completed the

South African National Defence Force The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) comprises the armed forces of South Africa. The Chief of the SANDF is appointed by the President of South Africa from one of the armed services. They are in turn accountable to the Minister of ...

's Joint Staff Course at the South African Defence College. By January 1995, he was appointed as Officer Commanding Central Flying School Langebaanweg. During his tenure, he oversaw the phasing out of the

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

and phasing in of the Pilatus PC 7 Mk 2 as the new basic training aircraft of the South African Air Force. In early 1999, back in Pretoria, he was promoted to brigadier general and appointed as Inspector General of the Air Force. The following two years stood him in good stead for the future as he did inspections across the length and breadth of the Air Force. On 1 November 2000, he was promoted to major general and appointed as Chief Director Operational Development at the

Joint Operations Division The Joint Operations Division is a component of the South African National Defence Force tasked with conducting Joint Operations involving the various arms of the SANDF. History The Joint Operations Division was established on 1 August 1997 duri ...

, responsible for Joint Force Employment Strategy, Concepts of Operation and Joint Doctrine. Gagiano was also tasked to lead the reorganisation of the Joint Operations Division. Major General Gagiano returned to the

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

and was given the Chief Director Air Policy and Plans portfolio. He was subsequently promoted to lieutenant general on 1 May 2005 and appointed as Chief of the South African Air Force. During his tenure, the Air Force introduced four new air systems into operations, and in addition, the indigenous

Rooivalk The Denel Rooivalk (previously designated AH-2 and CSH-2) is an attack helicopter manufactured by Denel Aviation of South Africa. ''Rooivalk'' is Afrikaans for "Red Falcon", which refers to the lesser kestrel. Development of the type began in 1 ...

combat support helicopter's development was completed and also inducted into service. After a thorough preparation with the newly acquired

Gripen The Saab JAS 39 Gripen ( ; English: ''Griffin'') is a light single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace and defence company Saab AB. The Gripen has a delta wing and canard configuration with rela ...

and

Hawk Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica. The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and others. This ...

aircraft, controlled by the Air Force's static and mobile radars, the Air Force conducted a successful joint air policing service during the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Gagiano, throughout his tenure, promoted good relations with air force commanders and specifically those of Southern Africa by the support of multi-national exercises and the building of personal relationships. Gagiano handed over command to Lieutenant General Fabian Msimang in a ceremony on 28 September 2012.

Aircraft flown

Aermacchi MB-326 The Aermacchi or Macchi MB-326 is a light military jet trainer designed and produced by the Italian aircraft manufacter Aermacchi. It is one of the most commercially successful aircraft of its type, being bought by more than 10 countries and pr ...

M & K *

De Havilland Vampire The de Havilland DH100 Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland, de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the Royal Air Force, RAF, after the Gloster Meteo ...

* Canadair Sabre Mk.6 *

Mirage F1 The Dassault Mirage F1 is a French fighter and attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was developed as a successor to the Mirage III family. During the 1960s, Dassault commenced development of what would become t ...

CZ *

North American Harvard The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft, which was used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Air Force (USAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Ro ...

* Denel Cheetah D and E *

Pilatus PC-7 The Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainer is a low-wing tandem-seat training aircraft, designed and manufactured in Switzerland by Pilatus Aircraft. The aircraft is capable of all basic training functions, including aerobatics, instrument, tactical, and ...

Pilatus PC-12 The Pilatus PC-12 is a pressurized, single-engined, turboprop aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Stans, Switzerland since 1991. It was designed as a high-performance utility aircraft that incorporates a large aft cargo door in addi ...

Awards and decorations

Lieutenant General Gagiano has been awarded the following medals and decorations: * * * * * * * * * * * * * Commander of the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...

(Sweden) *

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

(France) * Medal of Merit Santos Dumont (Brazil) * Pro Memoria Medal (Poland) *

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Gagiano, Carlo Living people 1951 births Chiefs of the South African Air Force Military attachés

Early and personal life

Air Force career

Aircraft flown

Awards and decorations

See also

References