35 Squadron’s Operation Copper deployments

Mozambique Channel patrols continue.

35 Squadron details Operation Copper deployments

Written by Chris Szabo

35 Squadron, which operates the C-47TP aircraft, has spoken to defenceWeb about its activities in the Mozambique Channel as part of the anti-piracy Operation Copper, after returning from Pemba in northern Mozambique in March.

35 Squadron operates two main C-47TP versions; transport C-47TPs (where “TP” stands for “Turbo-Prop”) and Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (MSA). The third type is apparently a single Electronic Warfare (EW) version. The MSA is characterised by a large white stripe covering the top of the fuselage to aid visibility from the air in the event of the aircraft having to ditch.

Captain Sibusiso Nkosi, a pilot with the unit based at Air Force Base Ysterplaat in Cape Town, said the Dakota is “a beautiful machine to fly”, after admitting that at first it was a bit difficult flying an old-fashioned “tail dragger”.

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Source: defenceweb.co.za