Botswana upgrades its fighter aircraft from India

Discussions are underway between the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) and India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) regarding the potential acquisition of Tejas fighter aircraft.

This information was officially confirmed at this year’s Aero India show in Bengaluru. C B Ananthakrishnan, the Chairman and Managing Director of HAL, verified that expressions of interest for the Tejas light fighter had been received from Botswana, as well as from Egypt and Argentina.

If successfully concluded, this agreement would signify the culmination of a decade-long search to replace the BDF’s aging fleet of Northrop/Canadair CF-5 Freedom Fighters, which have become increasingly challenging to maintain.

Since 2013, in response to neighboring countries like Zambia and Namibia modernizing their fighter fleets, the BDF has been pursuing a replacement for their 10 CF-5A and three CF-5D fighters and fighter trainers, locally known as the BF-5. These aircraft, stationed at Maparangwane Air Base on Thebephatshwa Airport, are employed for air defense and close air support.

In 2013, Major General Odirile Mashinyana, then head of the BDF Air Wing, advocated for modernizing the BF-5 fighter fleet. However, a preliminary cost-benefit analysis indicated that upgrading the BF-5 fleet would not be economically viable.

Subsequently, in November of the same year, Botswana’s Defense Minister, Ramadeluka Seretse, initiated discussions with South Korea’s Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) regarding the potential acquisition of the KAI T-50/FA-50 Golden Eagle lightweight fighter. Botswana’s President Ian Khama visited South Korea and KAI in October 2015. However, interest in the T-50/FA-50 diminished by 2016.

Botswana’s attempt to acquire 16 second-hand Lockheed Martin Block 40 F-16s was rebuffed by the US due to concerns about regional arms escalation.

Botswana then shifted focus to procuring 8-12 Saab JAS-39C/D Gripen fighters, estimated to cost $1.7 billion. The interoperability potential with South Africa’s JAS-39C/D fleet made the Gripen appealing to many BDF senior officers. President Khama visited Saab’s headquarters in June 2017, but the Gripen project stalled after Khama’s departure from office in 2018.

In 2017, South Korea renewed efforts to sell the FA-50 to Botswana, citing its lower life-cycle cost compared to the Gripen. Nevertheless, Botswana determined that the FA-50 did not meet its operational requirements, particularly in terms of radar, weaponry, payload/range, and overall capabilities.

As discussions with HAL progress, Botswana faces challenges in maintaining its BF-5 fleet. Canadair no longer maintains configuration control for the CF-5, and a lack of active production necessitates reliance on third parties or parts cannibalization for spares.