Mugabe buys Chinese copies of British jet fighters
President Robert Mugabe’s government has acquired six fighter jets “to deal with any challenges”, Zimbabwe state radio reported today.
It did not disclose the supplier or the price tag, but the report first named them as the K-8 and then the K-fighter.
The aircraft appeared to be the K-8 advanced jet trainer, a Chinese copy of the British Aerospace BAE Hawk, said Michael Quintana, former editor of Africa Defence Journal.
The Hawk was supplied to Zimbabwe by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher soon after independence in 1980. But Tony Blair slapped an embargo on spare parts in 2000 to protest at human rights abuses.
Quintana said Egypt bought K-8 trainers from China for €14.6m each.
“If the country had to save up for these, no wonder we are experiencing shortages of petrol,” Quintana said.
The radio broadcast quoted air force acting director of operations, Group Captain Builtin Chingoto, as saying the new fighters were meant to keep up with fast changing technology.
“They will go a long way to improve the operations of our air force in order to defend the country’s air space and territorial integrity,” he said. “They will enable the force to deal with any challenges.”
Mugabe described Britain as “this enemy country” on the weekend and said he was continuing to wage what he called a ”chimurenga” or civil war against the remaining 20,000 whites for control of natural resources, particularly land.
Claiming a two-thirds majority in March 31 parliamentary elections, he said “the nation had mobilised through the ballot box to repulse imperialism”.
Zimbabwe has been in serious economic crisis since Mugabe dispatched 14,000 troops backed by tanks and aircraft to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1998 and in February 2000 began seizing 5,000 white owned farms.
Some 70% of Zimbabweans live in absolute poverty, with five million of its 11.6 million people dependent last year on international food aid. Hospitals lack medicines and food, while schools lack desks, books and writing materials.
The K-8 flies under the speed of sound (700 mph) and has limited combat ability. It has already been supplied to the Namibian and Zambian air forces, Quintana said.
He said that while engaged in the Congo civil war, Zimbabwean forces acquired three MIG-23 interceptor fighter-bombers from Moammar Gaddafi’s Libyan Government. They have been seen at recent ceremonial fly pasts in Harare.
