NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
QUESTION NO. 480
480. Mrs S P Kopane (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military
Veterans:
(1) What areas of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) are currently
covered by 24 hour RADAR surveillance by the SA National Defence
Force (SANDF);
(2) whether the SANDF has any plans in place to ensure that areas of
the EEZ that are not covered by 24 hour RADAR surveillance are
covered in the future; if not, why not; if so, what are the
relevant details;
(3) whether she has found that the 24 hour RADAR surveillance is
proving effective where it is deployed in protecting the EEZ; if
not, why not; if so, how was this conclusion reached? NW522E
REPLY
1. The length of coastline of the RSA measures 3924 kilometres and the
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extends, for practical reasons, 370
kilometres to seaward of the baselines that approximate this coastline.
The EEZ thus covers an area of approximately 1 537 000 square kilometres of
open sea. Approximately 29% of the coastline is covered by fixed land-based
radars (radar horizon depends on the height of the antenna) with a radar
horizon of approximately 25 kilometres. It is thus clear that use must be
made of a variety of platforms (ships, surveillance aircraft, helicopters)
with a variety of sensors (eg radar, Automatic Identification System (AIS),
Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT), electro-optical, optical and
others) in order to monitor the EEZ of the RSA.
2. The SANDF is planning to cover the full extent of the EEZ with some
form of sensor, or combination of sensors, that will produce the most
optimal coverage. It is obvious that such an integrated system will
require the cooperation of many stakeholders and will benefit the RSA in
order to ensure that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our
maritime zones remain intact. Such an integrated system forms part of the
deliberations on a maritime security strategy for the RSA.
3. The SANDF has determined that a full spectrum of electronic and
optical sensors, deployed from a variety of platforms, provide the optimal
solution for managing the surveillance of our maritime zones.